Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle

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An Exposition of Aristotelian Virtues

In his Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle explores virtues as necessary conditions for being happy. A virtuous person is a person with a disposition toward virtuous actions and who derives pleasure from behaving virtuously. Aristotle distinguishes between two types of human virtue: virtues of thought and virtues of character. Virtues of thought are acquired through learning and include virtues like wisdom and prudence; virtues of character include bravery and charity, which are acquired by habituation and require external goods to develop. As a consequence, not all people can acquire virtues of character because not all people have the external goods and resources required to develop that disposition. Furthermore, not all virtuous people are happy: virtue is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for happiness. In this paper, I will construct a brief exposition of these concepts, reconstructing the process of acquiring virtues and demonstrating that virtue alone is not sufficient for happiness.

Aristotle believes that each action and decision that a person makes is done to seek some form of good. He believes that, if one of these ends to an action is something which we desire because of itself and not for desire of other things, then this end will be the greatest good. According to Aristotle, the majority of people believe that this greatest good is happiness, although there does not seem to be a general consensus for the definition of ‘happiness.’ So, while happiness is pursued for itself and never for anything else, grounding for what is happiness remains to be established. For Aristotle, the greatest good for anything with a characteristic function is dependant on that function. ...

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...t virtues of character are acquired through habituation and require external goods, and that a deficit of external goods may prevent individuals from acquiring virtue. A final consequence was examined which showed that virtue is necessary but not sufficient for happiness, and that only a subset of the individuals who acquire virtue might acquire happiness. However, while this final consequence might seem problematic or counterintuitive, Aristotle offers that happiness is actually one of the most divine things and seems to suggest that our concept of ‘happiness’ in the context which makes this seem so troubling is not a fully conceived notion. That is, you can still lead a good or blessed life without happiness, but the most blessed life is a happy one.

Works Cited

Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Trans. Terence Irwin. Indianapolis: Hackett,1999. Books I, II.

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