Nicomachean Ethics- Themes
GENERAL THINGS TO REMEMBER................................................4
Methodology................................................................................................................................................ 5
Gobbets........................................................................................................................................................ 5
HAPPINESS...............................................................................5
Argument that happiness is the highest good................................................................................................ 5
Argument that there is a highest good................................................................................................................5
What is the highest good?...................................................................................................................................6
Why is Aristotle trying to find the highest good?........................................................................................... 7
What is happiness/living well according to Aristotle?....................................................................................7
Inclusive vs dominant end view...........................................................................................................................7
Do we need external goods to be happy?...........................................................................................................8
Can we be happy during our lifetimes?...............................................................................................................8
Can our happiness change after we die?.............................................................................................................8
Virtue produces happiness............................................................................................................................ 9
Objection- happiness is a life of study.................................................................................................................9
THE FUNCTION ARGUMENT.......................................................10
What is a function?..................................................................................................................................... 10
Relation between a thing’s good and its function.............................................................................................10
How does the function relate to happiness?................................................................................................ 11
Summary of the function argument NE1.7................................................................................................... 11
What kind of argument is the function argument?.......................................................................................12
Human Beings have a Function.................................................................................................................... 12
The Craft/Organic Parts/ analogy......................................................................................................................12
The Human Function is Rational Activity...................................................................................................... 13
The Elimination Argument I.7............................................................................................................................13
PARTS OF THE SOUL................................................................15
What is the soul?........................................................................................................................................ 15
Parts of the soul in Aristotle’s De Anima...................................................................................................... 15
The part of the soul that has reason and thinks........................................................................................... 15
,The part of the soul that has reason as obeying reason................................................................................16
Why does this distinction matter?............................................................................................................... 17
Relation between the two parts.................................................................................................................. 17
Parts of the Soul and Kinds of Virtue........................................................................................................... 17
VIRTUE...................................................................................17
What is virtue?............................................................................................................................................ 17
Relationship between virtue and function................................................................................................... 18
What is virtue of thought?.......................................................................................................................... 19
What is virtue of character?........................................................................................................................ 20
What is the difference between virtue of thought and virtue of character?..................................................20
Natural vs full virtue................................................................................................................................... 21
How is virtue acquired?............................................................................................................................... 21
Virtue of thought acquired through teaching 2.1..............................................................................................21
Virtue of character acquired through habituation 2.1......................................................................................21
What is acting virtuously?........................................................................................................................... 22
The Doctrine of the mean............................................................................................................................ 23
Background to the doctrine of the mean..........................................................................................................23
What is the doctrine of the mean?....................................................................................................................23
The mean relative to us.....................................................................................................................................24
Objections to the doctrine of the mean............................................................................................................26
Specific Virtues........................................................................................................................................... 26
Virtues of character...........................................................................................................................................26
Virtues of thought Book VI.................................................................................................................................30
JUSTICE................................................................................... 39
What is general justice?.............................................................................................................................. 40
What is special/particular justice?............................................................................................................... 41
What is political justice?.............................................................................................................................. 42
What is justice in distribution?.................................................................................................................... 42
What is justice in rectification?.................................................................................................................... 43
Some questions about willingness and justice............................................................................................. 43
How do the two types if justice relate to one another?....................................................................................43
Is (special) justice a mean?................................................................................................................................44
, What is the difference between doing injustice and doing an unjust act?.......................................................46
Can one suffer injustice willingly?......................................................................................................................46
Can you do injustice to yourself?.......................................................................................................................47
Is doing justice up to us?....................................................................................................................................47
DECENCY................................................................................47
What is decency?........................................................................................................................................ 47
VOLUNTARY ACTION................................................................47
What’s the difference between voluntary and involuntary acts?..................................................................47
What is praise?...................................................................................................................................................48
What makes an action involuntary?............................................................................................................ 48
How can ignorance affect the action?.......................................................................................................... 49
Unwilling and non-willing acts...........................................................................................................................50
What are mixed acts?.................................................................................................................................. 51
What is an action?...................................................................................................................................... 51
Why does Aristotle make a distinction between voluntary and non-voluntary actions?...............................52
Are we to blame for our character?............................................................................................................. 52
DECISION AND DELIBERATION..................................................54
What is acting on decision?......................................................................................................................... 54
Relationship between decision and voluntary action........................................................................................55
What relevance does it have to Aristotle’s ethics?.......................................................................................55
What is deliberation?.................................................................................................................................. 57
INCONTINENCE/AKRASIA..........................................................57
What is incontinence or akrasia?................................................................................................................. 57
Why does Aristotle discuss akrasia?............................................................................................................ 58
What type of supposition does someone have when they act incontinently?...............................................58
Weak akrasia vs impetuous akrasia............................................................................................................. 63
How does the impetuous person act against their decision?...........................................................................63
Does Aristotle’s explanation of akrasia apply to both?.....................................................................................64
Intemperance vs incontinence..................................................................................................................... 65
Simple incontinence vs incontinence with respect to…................................................................................66
, PLEASURE...............................................................................67
What is pleasure?....................................................................................................................................... 67
Pleasure is an activity.........................................................................................................................................67
Pleasure in the subjective sense or the source sense.......................................................................................68
Pleasure is not a ‘perceived becoming’.............................................................................................................69
Pleasure and the good................................................................................................................................. 70
Is pleasure a good?............................................................................................................................................70
Are most pleasures good?.................................................................................................................................70
Is pleasure the good?.........................................................................................................................................71
In what ways can pleasure be bad?...................................................................................................................71
Which pleasures are good?................................................................................................................................71
Also in II 3................................................................................................................................................... 72
Two treatments of pleasure........................................................................................................................ 72
VII 11-14.............................................................................................................................................................72
X 1-5...................................................................................................................................................................73
FRIENDSHIP (PHILIA) VIII, IX....................................................73
Introductory remarks.................................................................................................................................. 73
What is friendship?..................................................................................................................................... 74
Different types of friendship....................................................................................................................... 76
Three causes of love..........................................................................................................................................76
Friendship for pleasure......................................................................................................................................76
Friendship for utility...........................................................................................................................................77
Virtue/character friendship...............................................................................................................................77
How do the types of friendship relate?.............................................................................................................77
General Things to Remember
Not polished literary works- may have been lecture notes
The Common Books- Book V, VI, VII also appear in Eudemian Ethics
o May not have been written for NE so should perhaps be discounted if conflict
o Most think that Eudemian Ethics was first, but this is contested
o some suppose that VII 11-14 belong in the Eudemian Ethics, and that the common books
were inserted into an incomplete version of the EN to fill a lacuna (Kenny).
NE assembled by other people-
o may not have been put together or put in that order by Aristotle
Dodgy views
o Thought women to be naturally inferior
o Thought some human beings are naturally slaves (unable to make proper decisions
about their own lives) and should be the property of other human beings
o Not just a product of the time
GENERAL THINGS TO REMEMBER................................................4
Methodology................................................................................................................................................ 5
Gobbets........................................................................................................................................................ 5
HAPPINESS...............................................................................5
Argument that happiness is the highest good................................................................................................ 5
Argument that there is a highest good................................................................................................................5
What is the highest good?...................................................................................................................................6
Why is Aristotle trying to find the highest good?........................................................................................... 7
What is happiness/living well according to Aristotle?....................................................................................7
Inclusive vs dominant end view...........................................................................................................................7
Do we need external goods to be happy?...........................................................................................................8
Can we be happy during our lifetimes?...............................................................................................................8
Can our happiness change after we die?.............................................................................................................8
Virtue produces happiness............................................................................................................................ 9
Objection- happiness is a life of study.................................................................................................................9
THE FUNCTION ARGUMENT.......................................................10
What is a function?..................................................................................................................................... 10
Relation between a thing’s good and its function.............................................................................................10
How does the function relate to happiness?................................................................................................ 11
Summary of the function argument NE1.7................................................................................................... 11
What kind of argument is the function argument?.......................................................................................12
Human Beings have a Function.................................................................................................................... 12
The Craft/Organic Parts/ analogy......................................................................................................................12
The Human Function is Rational Activity...................................................................................................... 13
The Elimination Argument I.7............................................................................................................................13
PARTS OF THE SOUL................................................................15
What is the soul?........................................................................................................................................ 15
Parts of the soul in Aristotle’s De Anima...................................................................................................... 15
The part of the soul that has reason and thinks........................................................................................... 15
,The part of the soul that has reason as obeying reason................................................................................16
Why does this distinction matter?............................................................................................................... 17
Relation between the two parts.................................................................................................................. 17
Parts of the Soul and Kinds of Virtue........................................................................................................... 17
VIRTUE...................................................................................17
What is virtue?............................................................................................................................................ 17
Relationship between virtue and function................................................................................................... 18
What is virtue of thought?.......................................................................................................................... 19
What is virtue of character?........................................................................................................................ 20
What is the difference between virtue of thought and virtue of character?..................................................20
Natural vs full virtue................................................................................................................................... 21
How is virtue acquired?............................................................................................................................... 21
Virtue of thought acquired through teaching 2.1..............................................................................................21
Virtue of character acquired through habituation 2.1......................................................................................21
What is acting virtuously?........................................................................................................................... 22
The Doctrine of the mean............................................................................................................................ 23
Background to the doctrine of the mean..........................................................................................................23
What is the doctrine of the mean?....................................................................................................................23
The mean relative to us.....................................................................................................................................24
Objections to the doctrine of the mean............................................................................................................26
Specific Virtues........................................................................................................................................... 26
Virtues of character...........................................................................................................................................26
Virtues of thought Book VI.................................................................................................................................30
JUSTICE................................................................................... 39
What is general justice?.............................................................................................................................. 40
What is special/particular justice?............................................................................................................... 41
What is political justice?.............................................................................................................................. 42
What is justice in distribution?.................................................................................................................... 42
What is justice in rectification?.................................................................................................................... 43
Some questions about willingness and justice............................................................................................. 43
How do the two types if justice relate to one another?....................................................................................43
Is (special) justice a mean?................................................................................................................................44
, What is the difference between doing injustice and doing an unjust act?.......................................................46
Can one suffer injustice willingly?......................................................................................................................46
Can you do injustice to yourself?.......................................................................................................................47
Is doing justice up to us?....................................................................................................................................47
DECENCY................................................................................47
What is decency?........................................................................................................................................ 47
VOLUNTARY ACTION................................................................47
What’s the difference between voluntary and involuntary acts?..................................................................47
What is praise?...................................................................................................................................................48
What makes an action involuntary?............................................................................................................ 48
How can ignorance affect the action?.......................................................................................................... 49
Unwilling and non-willing acts...........................................................................................................................50
What are mixed acts?.................................................................................................................................. 51
What is an action?...................................................................................................................................... 51
Why does Aristotle make a distinction between voluntary and non-voluntary actions?...............................52
Are we to blame for our character?............................................................................................................. 52
DECISION AND DELIBERATION..................................................54
What is acting on decision?......................................................................................................................... 54
Relationship between decision and voluntary action........................................................................................55
What relevance does it have to Aristotle’s ethics?.......................................................................................55
What is deliberation?.................................................................................................................................. 57
INCONTINENCE/AKRASIA..........................................................57
What is incontinence or akrasia?................................................................................................................. 57
Why does Aristotle discuss akrasia?............................................................................................................ 58
What type of supposition does someone have when they act incontinently?...............................................58
Weak akrasia vs impetuous akrasia............................................................................................................. 63
How does the impetuous person act against their decision?...........................................................................63
Does Aristotle’s explanation of akrasia apply to both?.....................................................................................64
Intemperance vs incontinence..................................................................................................................... 65
Simple incontinence vs incontinence with respect to…................................................................................66
, PLEASURE...............................................................................67
What is pleasure?....................................................................................................................................... 67
Pleasure is an activity.........................................................................................................................................67
Pleasure in the subjective sense or the source sense.......................................................................................68
Pleasure is not a ‘perceived becoming’.............................................................................................................69
Pleasure and the good................................................................................................................................. 70
Is pleasure a good?............................................................................................................................................70
Are most pleasures good?.................................................................................................................................70
Is pleasure the good?.........................................................................................................................................71
In what ways can pleasure be bad?...................................................................................................................71
Which pleasures are good?................................................................................................................................71
Also in II 3................................................................................................................................................... 72
Two treatments of pleasure........................................................................................................................ 72
VII 11-14.............................................................................................................................................................72
X 1-5...................................................................................................................................................................73
FRIENDSHIP (PHILIA) VIII, IX....................................................73
Introductory remarks.................................................................................................................................. 73
What is friendship?..................................................................................................................................... 74
Different types of friendship....................................................................................................................... 76
Three causes of love..........................................................................................................................................76
Friendship for pleasure......................................................................................................................................76
Friendship for utility...........................................................................................................................................77
Virtue/character friendship...............................................................................................................................77
How do the types of friendship relate?.............................................................................................................77
General Things to Remember
Not polished literary works- may have been lecture notes
The Common Books- Book V, VI, VII also appear in Eudemian Ethics
o May not have been written for NE so should perhaps be discounted if conflict
o Most think that Eudemian Ethics was first, but this is contested
o some suppose that VII 11-14 belong in the Eudemian Ethics, and that the common books
were inserted into an incomplete version of the EN to fill a lacuna (Kenny).
NE assembled by other people-
o may not have been put together or put in that order by Aristotle
Dodgy views
o Thought women to be naturally inferior
o Thought some human beings are naturally slaves (unable to make proper decisions
about their own lives) and should be the property of other human beings
o Not just a product of the time
