Aristotle s Nicomachean Ethics The Ultimate Goal

Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics is the ultimate guide to living a truly happy and fulfilled life. In this ethical treatise, he examines the ultimate goal of humans and the means to which that goal can be attained. Aristotle informs us of how virtues, external goods, friends, and theoretical wisdom lead to ultimate happiness, which is the key to a good life. Aristotle describes happiness as the results of any activities that comply with our virtues. Humans are teleological beings; in other words, we have an inherent purpose or goal. Aristotle says that that goal comes in two forms: internal and intentional. These two forms of telos go hand in hand. Our internal telos is eudaimonia. Eudaimonia is ultimate happiness. Essentially, everything†¦show more content†¦Because moral virtue is made partly of our appetites and desires, it is concerned with emotions and actions. Aristotle says â€Å"†¦ it is in emotions and actions that excess, deficiency, and the median are f ound.† (Pg. 43, lines 17-19) Farther down this page, he explains that when it comes to virtues, excess or deficiency are vices. The median (or mean) of the emotion or action is the true virtue. A helpful example of the mean being the true virtue is charity. If one has money to give to charities, they must not give away more than they can afford too (excess) because then they will be struggling themselves. Nor should they give too little or not at all (deficiency) because then they are being greedy. There are other things that play into attaining eudaimonia; such as, external goods, friends, and theoretical wisdom. External goods help us attain eudaimonia by helping us fulfill virtuous acts. Someone who has more money is able to donate more to charities, or provide more for their family, or pay for a better education. Having an education also helps fulfil virtuous acts. Someone with a good education has a skill (or profession) at which they can be excellent, which helps achiev e aretÄ“. If they are excellent at their profession then may then make a lot of money, which goes back to what has already been said. Another external good that helps fulfil virtuous acts is influence. If someone has influence over others, they can be virtuousShow MoreRelatedAristotle s Theory Of Virtue Ethics1095 Words   |  5 Pagesbeginning seems to be more than half of the whole.† ― Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics Ethics is the philosophical study of moral judgements (Solomon: 2010). Moral philosophy has long been dominated by two basic theories; deontology, inspired by Immanuel Kant, the eighteenth century philosopher and; utilitarianism or consequentialism, which derives its modern day instructions from eighteenth and nineteenth century philosophers Jeremey Bentham and J. S. Mills, respectively (Hursthouse:1999). 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