EUDAIMONIA

(NICOMACHEAN ETHICS)
ARISTOTLE

BSA-BLOCK A
GROUP 6

RUAR, GLAY ANN

SANTOS, NIKKIE
SIBAYAN, JAYMAR
SILVERTINO, JUDEA
SUERTE, ROSEMILYN
 INTRODUCTION

The Nicomachean Ethics by the Greek philosopher Aristotle is one of

the earliest treatises on the nature of good actions or ethics.

What is Good Life?

The good life is a state that is primarily characterized by a high standard
of living or the adherence to ethical and moral laws. As such, the term
can both be understood as the quest for wealth, material possessions
or luxuries and the quest to create a worthwhile, honest and
meaningful existence.

ARISTOTLE
- An Ancient Greek Philosopher
- known for his natural philosophy, logic and Political Theory
- one of the greatest thinker in the history of western Science and
Philosophy, making contribution to logic, metaphysics, mathematics,
physics , biology, botany, ethics, politics, agriculture, medicine, dance
and theatre.
- First to classify areas of human knowledge in distinct disciplines such
as mathematics, biology and ethics
- He is also the founder of Lyceum, the first scientific institute, based in
Athens, Greece .
Aristotle meant in Good life
Aristotle develops a theory of the good life, also known as eudaimonia,
for humans in the Nichomachean Ethics. He believes that if we have
happiness, we don’t need anything else, giving it intrinsic value. As a
result, when Aristotle refers to the good-life as the happy life, he does
not mean that the good is simply one of happiness or amusement.
Eudaimonia came from the greek word EU meaning GOOD and
DAIMON meaning SPIRIT
• its also referred to the good life marked by happiness and excellence;
and
• Flourishing life filled with meaningful endeavors that empower the
human person to be the best version of himself/herself.
He developed this theory because he wanted to know if human life
has an ultimate end, goal, or purpose.
With these considerations in mind, Aristotle states that the good life
consists in the possession, over the course of a lifetime, of all those
things that are really good for us. Moreover, what is really good for
each of us corresponds to the natural needs that are the same for all of
us. Thus what is good for one person is good for another; in other
words, there is a right plan for living well.
What are these real goods that we should all seek to obtain in order to
live well? According to Aristotle, they are:
1) Bodily goods – health, vitality, vigor, and pleasure;
2) External goods – food, drink, shelter, clothing, and sleep; and
3) Goods of the soul – knowledge, skill, love, friendship, aesthetic
enjoyment, self-esteem, and honor.
For Aristotle, the final end of human life is to flourish, to live well, to
have a good life. All actions should aim at this end.
According to Aristotle living well is the ultimate goal for humans.
Aristotle argued that not all desires are the same.
Acquired desires or wants are equivalent to apparent goods; things
that appear goods because we want them.
Natural desires or needs corresponds to real goods,which are
beneficial to us whether we like them or not.
Aristotle argued that the way to bridge the gap between knowledge of
the good life and actually living it was through the development of a
good moral character.

According to Aristotle Good habits are referred to as excellences or

virtues.
Mind Virtues are intellectual Virtues
Moral Virtues Exemplified by a consistent disposition choose
correctly.
According to Aristotle, Wisdom is the most important intellectual virtue
but moral virtue plays a special role in living well.
Aristotle says, the purpose of the state is to provide the conditions
under which all its citizens can flourish.
What are these real goods that we should all seek to obtain in order to
live well? According to Aristotle, they are:
1) bodily goods – health, vitality, vigor, and pleasure;
2) external goods – food, drink, shelter, clothing, and sleep; and
3) goods of the soul – knowledge, skill, love, friendship, aesthetic
enjoyment, self-esteem, and honor.
Nicomachean Ethics
The Nicomachean Ethics by the Greek philosopher Aristotle is one of
the earliest treatises on the nature of good actions or ethics. The title
derives from either Aristotle’s father, Nicomachus, or his son, also
named Nicolas. The treatise considers eudaimonia, often translated as
happiness, though it means the highest good, that which humans seek
for its own sake and not for the sake of something else.

The most important moral virtues or habits are moderation, courage,

and justice. Moderation keeps us from overindulging in pleasure or
seeking too much of the limited goods. Courage is having the
disposition to do what it takes to live a good life, and justice is the
virtue that allows us to have friends and enjoy the benefits of
cooperation.
Fear (phobos) and confidence (tharsos) Courage (andreia): mean in
fear and confidence.

◼ Wealth, honor, pleasure, and virtue are all examples of happiness.

Wealth, according to Aristotle, is not happiness because it is just
an economic value that can be used to gain some happiness;
wealth is a means to an end. Happiness is not external, but honor
is.
Aristotle’s views on living well begin with a consideration of ends and
means.
◼ Thinking about the goal we are aiming at, and the means we will
employ to reach that goal is practical thinking. But such thinking
bears no fruit until it results in purposeful action, which is acting
with some end, goal, or purpose in mind. Purposeful action
contrasts with aimless or thoughtless action, which is action with
no end in view.
◼ argued that as we mature, we act less aimlessly and more
purposefully.
Moral Responsibility in Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics
According to Aristotle, humans achieve their highest good through
virtue. To be morally responsible, humans must be free to choose a
course of action without coercion. They must be aware of their ethical
choices and make choices that would bring about eudaimonia, the
highest good. The moral philosopher, then, guides humans toward
virtuous action.
NICOMACHEAN ETHICS 2:2
All humans activities aim at some good.
Every art and human inquiry , and similarly every action and pursuit is
thought to aim at some good; and for this reason the good has been
rightly declared as that all which all things aim.
NICOMACHEAN ETHICS 2:1
Virtue, then, being of two kinds, intellectual and moral, Intellectual
Virtue in the main owes its birth and growth in teaching ( for its reason
it requires experience and time ) While Moral Virtue comes about as a
result of habit.
VIRTUES
◼ showing High moral standards
◼ Paragons of virtue
◼ “ the simple Virtue and integrity Of Peasant life.”
THE VIRTUES
INTELLECTUAL VIRTUE
- theoretical wisdom (thinking any truth)
- practical wisdom
- Understanding. Experience and time are necessary requirements for
the development of intellectual virtue
MORAL VIRTUE
- controlled by practical wisdom (ability to make right judgement)
- owed its development to how one nurtured it as habit
- can be learned
Why is Aristotle ethics called Nicomachean?
The title of Aristotle's treatise on ethics, The Nicomachean Ethics,
derives from the name of his father and his son, Nicomachus.

What are Aristotle’s virtues in Nicomachean Ethics?

Aristotle identified two virtues in his Nicomachean Ethics: virtue of
thought, especially wisdom, and virtue of character. Examples of
virtue of character include generosity, justice, and courage. Virtue
develops in two phases where humans first experience the
appropriate habits of character and then develop appropriate
wisdom. The two experiences combine to create virtue.
What is the main idea of Nicomachean Ethics?
The main idea of Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics is eudaimonia,
sometimes translated as ‘happiness.’ However, a better way to think of
what Aristotle meant by this Greek term is the highest good that
humans seek. The highest good entails traits of character that, when
developed through a life of study and reflection, result in a virtuous or
ethical life.

HAPPINESS TO ARISTOTLE
- “ happiness depends on ourselves”
- central purpose of human life and a goal in itself
- depends on the cultivation of virtue
- a genuinely happy life required of fulfillment of a broad range of
conditions, including physical as well as mental well-being.

HAPPINESS AS THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE OF HUMAN EXISTENCE

- happiness is a final end or goal that encompasses the totality of one’s
life
- it is not something than can be gained or loss in the few hours, like
pleasurable sensations
- it is more like the ultimate value of your life as lived up to this
moment, measuring how well you have lived up to your full potential as
a human being.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND GOOD LIFE

- S&T is also the movement towards good life

- S&T are one of the highest expression of human faculties

- S&T allow us to thrive and flourish if we desire it.

- S&T may corrupt a person

- S&T with virtue can help an individual to be out of danger.

 CONCLUSION

Living the good life means to strive for self-mastery, exploration and
the improvement of the world around you. It is a worthwhile life that
sets you free. A life that is in balance and fully satisfies and fulfills you.
But the good life is not just a life that adds happiness, joy and pleasure,
but it also desires to attain mastery over the self. The good life
therefore is not a life spend by the never-ending pursuit of personal
desires. Instead, it seeks to reign in your passions by attaining self-
control. The one who is living the good life also contributes to the
betterment of this world and adds value to it.
Aristotle he was a student of Plato for twenty years but is famous for
rejecting Plato’s theory of forms.
Nichomachean Ethics the contemplative life consists of the soul’s
Participation in the eternal through a union between the soul’s rational
faculty and the nous that imparts intelligibility to the cosmos
Eudaimonia referred to the good life marked by happiness and
excellence.
The good life therefore is not a life spend by the never-ending pursuit
of personal desires. Instead, it seeks to reign in your passions by
attaining self-control. The one who is living the good life also
contributes to the betterment of this world and adds value to it.
 REFERENCES
What is the Good Life Aristotle . Retrieved on August 28, 2022 at
http://www.planetofsuccess.com/blog/2016/what-is-the-good-
life/Aristotle

Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics and The Good life. Retrieved on August

28, 2022 at https://study.com/academy/lesson/aristotles-
nicomachean-ethics-summary-analysis.html

Aristotle on the Good Life and Meaningful Life. Retrieved on August 29,
2022 at https://reasonandmeaning.com/2013/12/19/aristotle-on-the-
good-and-meaningful-life/