The Ethics Of Nicomachean Ethics - 1367 Words

Olivia Schoen Dan Brown Ethics 101 8 April 2015 Nicomachean Ethics As one of the greatest philosophers of all time, Aristotle was one of the greats. He altered history and the way our world views philosophy and ethics. One of his theories of ethics that he written in the form of 10 books was Nicomachean Ethics, this theory consisted of Aristotle’s perspective on the life of man and what makes a good life for man. Personally, I think his theory of ethics is a good outline of how to be an ethical and happy, I think Nicomachean ethics is a valid theory as it makes sense, and as a base line or starting point can be applied to many situations. Aristotle purposes that all human beings work toward a supreme happiness or good, this good is†¦show more content†¦Within the ten books Aristotle goes onto explain happiness, virtue, voluntary/involuntary activity, actions, and intentions. All this explanation ties into how and why a person can follow virtues to become truly happy. The first virtue discussed is Courage or Bravery, and Aristotle claims that this virtue is the happy medium between impulsiveness and pusillanimity. He explains that fear is good in some situations such as, â€Å"It is noble to fear some things, such as a bad reputation† (Moschella). And the ultimate fear is death, but one should only fear death if it is in a brave or noble death such as in war. The next virtue is Temperance and this virtue is the balance between a healthy amount and response to pleasures. Natural desires are included in this virtue, and the only way to be intemperate is, â€Å"when he is more pained than he should by the absence of pleasurable thing† or when he indulges in the excess of pleasures (Moschella). The third virtue is generosity and Aristotle goes on to explain that the two extremes of this virtue are wastefulness and stinginess. Giving to the right person and giving the right amount are methods of practicing generosity virtuously, but givin g too much and not taking or not giving enough and taking in excess is the opposite of virtuousness (Moschella). To explain the fourth virtue we must understand the definition of munificence, which