Comparing Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics And Intellectual Virtue

Perhaps one of the most perplexing challenges that human beings face in life is the struggle to achieve happiness in some way, shape, or form. Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle even asserted that “Happiness in general, then is something final, complete, and sufficient in itself and as such it is the ultimate goal of all human action” (Cronk et.al., 2004, p.127). In his most famous work, Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle proposes that the supreme good is ultimate happiness or Eudaimonia: an internal good in which the happy person lives in pursuit of. He discusses that in order to achieve Eudaimonia, one must live an active life in pursuit of complete human excellence through both moral and intellectual virtue. It is only then that human beings

He states in book one that human behavior revolves around a means-end relationship. He further describes a means ends relationship as a positive one by stating, “In a means-end relationship, the end is better than the means, that is, the end is the true object of desire, and the means is chosen, not for itself, but because it enables us to reach what we really want” (125). All of the good actions that human beings accomplish are for a higher means, an end goal, that is more important than what we have done to get there. Also, he describes that reaching that supreme goal of Eudaimonia is, if not essential, then very important for human beings to achieve. It is connected with success and fulfillment of goals and a happy person will spend their lifetime in the pursuit of human

We are given the skills that enable us to think objectively and argue or question in a rational and clear thinking way. In or intellectual or rational psyche, we have two distinct ways of thinking: things can not be other than they are (the realm of necessity), and things that can be other than they are (the realm of contingency). Other names for these are theoretical and practical reasoning. “Attainment of truth is the aim of both aspects of the intellect, so the excellence of each will be that tendency that enables it to reach the truth” (163). In the realm of necessity, truth is an end in itself whereas in the realm of contingency, is the premises are true, the conclusion must be true. According to Aristotle, it is the intellectual virtue that is the most pleasant and most important of all endeavours. If one is an intellectual, he is clear thinking and rational and therefore, will be morally excellent as well. In other words, the intellect is self sufficient and will lead you to achieve