Nicomachean Ethics
c. 340 BCE · Aristotle
Core ideas
- The human good is eudaimonia — flourishing through virtuous rational activity.
- Moral virtue is a mean between extremes, judged by practical wisdom.
- We become virtuous by practicing virtuous acts until they become habit.
- Friendship and community are essential to a flourishing life.
Summary
Aristotle asks what the good life for a human being is and answers: eudaimonia, usually translated as flourishing or happiness — not a feeling but an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue over a complete life. Because humans are rational animals, our flourishing lies in exercising reason well.
Virtue of character is a settled disposition to feel and act rightly, lying at a mean between excess and deficiency relative to the situation: courage between rashness and cowardice, generosity between waste and stinginess. Such virtue is acquired by habit, guided by practical wisdom. The work ends by ranking the contemplative life as the highest, since it most fully expresses our rational nature.