Chief Good Aristotle

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In Nicomachean Ethics book 1 and X, Aristotle explores the concept of the good life and how one can achieve happiness in this contemplative collection of essays written in 350 BCE. In both books Aristotle works to define what the good life and how a man could achieve it by challenging other beliefs and eliminating other possibilities to find the “chief good” and decide what the role of material culture plays in our pursuit of Eudaimonia.
Eudaimonia is the Greek word often translated as “happiness, or human flourishing.” In Aristotelian thought, it is outlined to include the active and conscious choice to seek happiness and contentment through virtuous activities. Aristotle said, “We must rather class happiness as an activity” (Aristotle, Book …show more content…

While other goods may be temporary this “chief good” is the highest because it does not seek to gain other things while the other goods do (Aristotle, Book I Section 1). Other aspects of the chief good include it being self-sufficient, meaning it can be acquired on its own and it does not lead to any other praise or accolades. There is also a temporal aspect to the chief good as it cannot be acquired all at once and then lost. Instead it takes a very long time to achieve it. “For one swallow does not make a summer, nor does one day; and so too one day, or a short time, does not make a man blessed and happy.” (Aristotle, Book 1 Section 7. Aristotle explains that achievement of the chief good is a long process and generally considered a final or end goal. While it may be an end goal once a man has achieved chief good, he is not necessary in a constant state of happiness thereafter. Instead it is defined by his ability to bounce back from misfortune. (Aristotle Book I, Section 7). The next quality which the chief good must possess is its ability to be universal to all of man. (Aristotle, Book I Section 7). While not all men will pursue and gain the chief good, they are fundamentally able to, unlike inanimate objects or animals which do not have the ability to think rationally. (Aristotle Book I Section 9). Whether men use their rational thought to achieve eudemonia is based on their own ability to live a contemplative and active life.
Another aspect of living a happy and fulfilling life is engaging in virtuous activities. Virtue is a part of the chief good because people generally choose to be virtuous, individual of other desires or results. “the very virtue we choose indeed for themselves (for if nothing resulted from them we should still choose each of them), but we choose them also for the sake of happiness.” (Aristotle Book 1 Section

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