Aristotle's Notion on Eudaimonia and Virtue

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Recommended: A critique of Aristotle's conception of happiness as the ultimate good

In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics he accounts that humans should make sacrifices and should ultimately aim first and foremost for their own happiness . In the paper I will argue that it is really in a person’s best interest to be virtuous . I will do this by first describing Aristotle’s notion on both eudaimonia and virtue , as well as highlighting the intimate relationship between the two . Secondly I will talk about the human role in society. Thirdly I will describe the intrinsic tie between human actions . Finally I will share the importance of performing activities virtuously .

The central notion of Aristotle is eudaimonia or “happiness” which is best translated as a flourishing human life . Happiness is a complete and sufficient good , and ever human aims for this “good” . It is a good that is chosen for its own sake and is the mean to the highest good , which is happiness . There is a contemplation about what constitutes as happiness , because it is dependent on each individual . Aristotle argues that a person’s life can not be determined as happy or unhappy until after they are dead . He says this because we consider human’s life as a whole not as a brief moment in time , therefore we can not establish if a person has a happy life until we can evaluate their life as a whole .

Virtue is a right or appropriate feeling at the right time , towards the right person or object in the right way . In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics he discusses different types of virtues such as : fear , honor , magnificence , wit , and truthfulness . Virtue is then held between two extremes , excess and deficiency . Possessing the mean is dependent on the circumstances and requires prudence in order to distinguish what the mean is . Acting virtu...

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3 ."Notes on Nicomachean Ethics." University of Notre Dame. http://www.nd.edu/~afreddos/courses/180/nicomach.htm (accessed February 12, 2011).

4 . Discipline. "JSTOR: An Error Occurred Setting Your User Cookie." JSTOR: An Error Occurred Setting Your User Cookie. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2107230 (accessed February 12, 2011).

5 . "David D. Friedman's Home Page." David D. Friedman's Home Page. http://www.daviddfriedman.com (accessed February 12, 2011).

6 . Dinan, Matthew. "Tragedy and Self-Knowledge in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the MPSA Annual National Conference, Palmer House Hotel, Hilton, Chicago, IL, . 2011-02-10

7 . "Nicomachean Ethics” by Aristotle

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