Some principles of Aristotle’s (387-322 BCE) philosophy

Because the subject matter of ethics is changeable (i.e., human beings), knowledge of ethics is true “for the most part.” He is the first thinker to systematize the study of the “good life” and provide rules for how to achieve it.

Aristotle’s Ethics become easier to understand if we keep in mind one of his scientific principles, that all living things are in a process of actualizing their potentials.

Aristotle’s Nicomachean EthicsBook I (Practical Knowledge into Action)

• Everything we do, we do for some end (telos).• Is there an ultimate end (“good”) for

everything we do?• Ends/goods come in two types:• -Instrumental goods (for the sake of

something else)• -Intrinsic goods (for the sake of itself)

Everyone wants to be “happy.”

• Is “happiness” (eudaimonia) the ultimate end of all of our actions?

• (if so, it is the only purely “intrinsic” good)• Common beliefs about happiness are:• -Happiness is wealth (material possessions)• -Happiness is pleasure (feeling good, a feeling)• -Happiness is “honor” (having a good

reputation, status, many friends)

The “chief good”…

-Must be something long lasting and within our control; it must be self-sufficient and permanent.

-Must have something to do with the “function” (set of potentials) of a human being, i.e., the human type of soul.

-Must be “an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue over a complete life.”