Why Aristotle Recognizes That Actions Are Not Pointless

In Aristotle’s Book II of Nicomachean Ethics, he states that virtue of character is how someone gets to the ultimate end, which is happiness. Aristotle states that, without a goal or ultimate end (happiness), life does not have a purpose. Therefore every action in a person’s life has to be made with true virtue of character in mind in order to achieve the final end. Aristotle states that virtue arises in us neither by nature nor against nature but since we are humans, by nature, we are able to acquire virtue and perform it later (Book II, p. 18). With that being said, how people behave in their lives and how they interact with people, and how they repeat similar activities determines their virtue of character. Which leads into Aristotle stating that, this is why we as people should perform the right activities, since differences in these activities imply differences within the states which is why it is important to acquire virtuous habits at a young age (Book II, p.19). From this you can determine that people must act accordingly or with the correct behavior and with habit if they want to acquire certain states of virtue. Aristotle gives the example of excessive exercise and being deficient in exercise can ruin the strength of a persons body, just as eating too much or too little can ruin the health of a persons body, but when you do these things in the correct amount it helps the body (Book II, p. 20). This example shows that the goodness of an action can naturally be

The good life defined by Aristotle in Nicomachean Ethics is a feasible goal that all humans should be able to aim for but restrictions make it impossible for all citizens of ancient Greece to achieve it which foreshadows the gender and racial stereotypes that can be seen in our culture today. Aristotle questions this claim by having an inner debate with himself in the process, he creates many theories, but he clarifies what he determines to be the good life by saying, ”Our present discussion does not aim, as our others do, at study; for the purpose of our examination is not to know what virtue is but to become good, since otherwise the inquiry would be of no benefit to us.”(1103b25 ff) It is a misconception that Eudaimonia means happiness

Furthermore, Aristotle believes when the virtuous person does an action only through the sake of it self there is no other means to the end and one will eventually become virtuous. However, when the action is preformed for the sake of something else, then a person will not reach the highest form of virtue. The reason for this is when the action that is preformed for the sake of something else, then it will not reach complete happiness because it will always desire more.

Aristotle argues things people do aims at some end or end. The highest end to all of these things is attaining happiness. I maintain that it is impossible for a human being to be happy according to Aristotle's definition due to the fact that he sets strict conditions of perfect virtue thus happiness.

In the book Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle, one of the most important figures in the philosophical world, makes a claim about the “chief good” (Aristotle 4). In order to inform the reader of what life the “chief good” resides in, Aristotle first attempts to describe why the “chief good” is not found in certain lives. Throughout chapter five Aristotle claims that the “chief good” cannot be attained in the lives of enjoyment, honor, and wealth. This is evident through the consistent examples of he uses throughout the text. One the “chief good” cannot be equal to those lives. Although a virtuous life does attain the “chief good”.

Aristotle argues that individuals seek Eudaimonia, which means happiness. Happiness has intrinsic value being that in itself it is good and is not a mere means to achieve a set goal. Shafer-Landau writes on how Aristotle believes that a good life is one in which an individual has made wise choices and worthy pursuits, along with the inclusion of virtues. When an individual forms a habit such as driving their car to work every morning this leads to a constant action known as a routine. In comparison to a routine, a virtue is developed by habituation, being that it is persistent, reliable, and a characteristic feature of a person. Aristotle argued that virtue does not always guarantee a good life. For example, if a virtuous individual were to

Aristotle begins his books by stating “EVERY art and every inquiry, and similarly, every action and pursuit is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim.” (Aristotle, Chap.1). His focus is that as people we are inherently seeking good. This does not mean that our actions do not have consequences, but rather that seeking good is innate, and it is just something that if we can let flourish, will allow us to be better individuals or a virtuous person.

Moreover, in Aristotle 's system of virtues there exists the concept of eudaimonia, which is

What constitutes a “good life”? Aristotle sought the answer to this question. Two books, Nicomachean ethics and Eudemuan ethics, were dedicated to discovering what a good life is. He reached the conclusion that when someone acts, they are always striving towards some final goal. So how did Aristotle explain “eudaimonia” or perfect happiness? Eudaimonia is the ultimate good we strive towards, that requires no further questioning. What he means by no further questioning is this. Something that is the final good you want to acquire from your work. Aristotle looked over several possible answers before coming to his conclusion. First there is honor. But, we see that honor is just another tool to reach ultimate fulfillment. Likewise, pleasure

Similar to Plato’s theory, Aristotle believed that each class of citizens have a different role to play in helping the community. While, each class of citizens has a different role, all citizens share the highest good of happiness. There are three ways of life to reach happiness: life of pleasure, the political life, and the contemplative life. In Aristotle’s view the function of an object is important in deciding the good of it. He states, “[The] function of man is an activity of soul...if this is the case, and we state the function of man to be a certain kind of life and this to be an activity or actions of the soul implying a rational principle, and the function of a good man to be the good and noble performance of these” (I.7). In Aristotle’s ethical theory, the key to man is man’s rational principle. Aristotle believes that the function of man is to exercise reason with virtue, which is different from Plato who believes that the function of man is to keep their soul virtuous. Aristotle raises reason as the distinct feature of mankind. Plato viewed the soul as the distinct feature of man. For Aristotle, there are two virtues: intellectual and moral. He believed that the aim of ethics is not “in order to know what virtue is, but in order to become good” (II.2).

A person who practices virtue attempts to live a well-balanced and stable life. While I recognize Aristotle’s argument, the argument itself presents people as isolated human beings who try to be virtuous, or at least attempt to, with no consideration of how our interactions with others affect us and, therefore, affect what is considered right and wrong.

Aristotle laid out three points in his theory of virtue ethics: eudaimonia, arête, and telos. First, eudaimonia is achieving ultimate happiness within oneself. In Aristotle’s mind, eudaimonia means you have lived a good life and you are using reason to help feed the soul. The second point in his theory is arête or virtue. Aristotle describes arête as becoming the ultimate of ones kind. According to Aristotle, humans should strive every day to be the best we can be and to live the good life. Finally, telos is said by Aristotle to be the final cause or end. All of us are living our lives here on earth and take different paths along the way. One component of our lives is the same no matter our culture, religion, or ethnicity and that is death. The way we live our lives and seek that final cause is what Aristotle believes is important.

In this paper, I will argue that Aristotle is right when he says happiness or eudaimonia is when the good life is a happy life, where happiness is the end goal. I will do so first by explaining how Aristotle’s eudaimonia theory found in Nicomachean Ethics is the aim of human life, a theory of happiness that is still relevant today. Secondly I will share the key ingredients in Aristotle’s recipe for happiness and the good life. These include reason and virtues, pleasure and relationships, wealth and success. Lastly, I will explain why I agree with Aristotle that the life of virtue fits best with the human life. That eudaimonia is the pursuit of happiness, the goal that encompasses the totality of one’s life.

Aristotle believes that to live the good life one has to be intellectual and have good behaviors. He uses the word Eudaimonia to describe this theory which is translated to happiness. By having these two qualities, one can become a virtuous person. To be a virtuous person they have satisfied inclination that are rational desires and actually wants to do what is right, and does it. Therefore, developing healthy habits lead us toward obtaining a better life. Whereas, picking bad habits makes us believe we are headed towards things that are good but may turn out to be bad for us. By picking these respectable habits, one gets closer to being a virtuous person. He believes that what is good for one person is good for another. There are three types of good, and these are bodily goods, external goods, and goods of the soul.

In his work, Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle divulges into a philosophical inquiry into the nature of the good life for a human being. Through living with the mean state and with moral virtue, the disposition to behave in the right manner and as a mean between extremes of deficiency and excess, Aristotle explains how one can reach the end purpose of life and achieve eudaimonia, human flourishing. Aristotle’s fundamental claims surrounding moral excellence and habituation allow to one enact the necessary process of moderating thinking and feeling to become a morally excellent person. In order to reach human thriving, one must habituate themself to continually make good choices of the mean state, so that through acting virtuously, one can develop moral excellence in all aspects of their lives.