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Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics

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In “Nichomachean Ethics”, Aristotle Investigates the activities that are worthy of being pursued, because they inadvertently bring happiness to our lives, which is the ultimate good that we seek. Aristotle narrowed the pursuits of men down to two distinct classes, the Art and the inquiry. These two terms are more relatable if we consider Art to be those activities that naturally propel or push us to do something, as well as a field of study such as medicine. The inquiry, on the other hand, is more of a tool that we use to answer questions that we might have. For instance, science, in general, is an investigative tool that we used to strengthen our beliefs by providing irrefutable evidence. By using these two systems of classification, Aristotle
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The philosophical life/life of study –intellectual contemplation which responds to our rational side. It means to naturally have the interest and curiosity because for Aristotle the education is the cultivation of the character. 10. How does Aristotle define moral virtue in Nicomachean Ethics II, 1107a1-3? Explain the various parts of this definition.

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The Articles of Confederation went into effect 1781 and was an easy way for Congress to borrow money, settle disputes, enter into treaties, establish armed forces, regulate coinage, etc. The Articles of Confederation, however, did come with flaws. Congress could not regulate commerce and directly tax the people. Congress could not compel states to pay their share of government costs and lacked power to enforce its laws. Congress could not enforce foreign treaties with the states and states entered into treaties independent of Congress.

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In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, he outlines the different scenarios in which one is responsible for her actions.  There is, however, a possible objection which raises the possibility that nobody is responsible for their actions.  Are we responsible for some of our actions after all?   If so, under what circumstances?

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Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics begins by exploring ‘the good’. Book I argues that, unlike other goods, “happiness appears to be something complete and self-sufficient, and is, therefore, the end of actions” (10:1097b20-21). In other words, happiness is the ultimate good. But how does one achieve happiness? Aristotle formulates this in the context of work, since for all things, from artists to horses, “the good and the doing it well seem to be in the work” (10:1097b27-28).

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Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Book ll, is about his idea of how people should live a virtuous life. Throughout this book, he explains that humans learn virtue from instructions and we learn virtue from practice too. Virtue is something that is very important because it is a moral habit that results in keeping our moral values. Aristotle believed that nobody is born with virtue, everyone has to work at it daily. After reading Nicomachean ethics, Book ll, my main conclusion of it is that us as humans are better off being virtuous than simply doing what we feel like doing at any moment in time.

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The ethics of Aristotle is teleological, that is, that identifies the good with an end. The philosopher defends this idea because he understands that when men act is because they seek to achieve a specific goal, mainly, happiness in life. Aristotle identifies happiness with the virtues, and divides them into two branches, the ethical, those that are designed to dominate the irrational part of our soul and the dianoetics, which correspond to the rational nature of the human being. Among the first we find strength, temperance and justice, while in the second group would be prudence and

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In his book Nicomanchean Ethics Aristotle explains and differentiates voluntary and involuntary actions and expatiate on all the factor that contribute in deciding on the nature of our actions. The purpose of this differentiation is essential for the study of virtue ethics and more importantly for the study of jurisprudence “to the assigning of both of honors and of punishments” onto individuals. Aristotle firstly describes factors that causes actions to be involuntary or voluntary, such as ignorance, compulsion and choice. The understanding of such factors and their relation to our actions are also important to understand the principles explained by Aristotle. Voluntary actions is defined by Aristotle as actions that have their principle

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To explore what human’s function is, Aristotle proposes 3 options. Firstly, he mentions “life of nutrition and growth”, which is the function that even the plants share, involving only the basic life functions of living and growing. Secondly, he mentions the life of perception. Although this involves having emotions, desires, and higher functions of life, it is also shared with animals and not distinctive to humans. Finally, he reaches the conclusion that “the active life of the element has reason” (1098a2) is the most distinctive function of human beings.

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1) Aristotle’s theory of Ethics is centered around a vision or purpose, guided by human values (Teological Ethics) and consists of 3 main parts; The Pursuit of happiness, Human Excellence, and The mean. For Aristotle, happiness isn’t momentary, happiness is a prolonged period in which a person does good things repeatedly and lives well. Happiness for Aristotle involves becoming an active member of your community and doing good things for the community. According to Aristotle, human excellence is the idea that humans aim to achieve the good and to live a life, demonstrating the virtues of excellence where they are the best they can be (have obtained as much good into their lives as possible). Human excellence, for Aristotle, is guided by our ability to reason and choose to do what is right.

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In Aristotle's The Politics and Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle explains connections between life, the constitution, and law where the goal is to pursue good in life. He states that a city (polis) common goal is to achieving good, but men in politics are "political animals". In other words, participating in political activity, test a man's virtue because the man now has a responsibilty of pursuing good for the common people. A leader who is endowed good virtue, his followers will follow and the city as a whole will aim to do good. Aristotle shows that political activity is the key to good life and where men participating in it are accomplishing and exercising their authority in common interest which becomes the standard for absolute justice.

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14). Aristotle also touched on ethics where he discussed moral code which in fact was in the book he wrote, Nicomachean Ethics. In the book, Aristotle alludes his idea that living good to some degree defied some of the strict laws of logic because the world sometimes can create different situations and

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“Every skill and every inquiry, and similarly every action and rational choice, is thought to aim at some good; and so the good has been aptly described as that which everything aims. But it is clear that there is some difference between ends: some ends are activities, while others are products which are additional to the activities. In cases where there are ends additional to the actions, the products are by their nature better than activities.” (Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics, as translated by Crisp, 2000, p. #3) Aristotle was the first philosopher who wrote a book on ethics titled, Nichomachean Ethics.

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Secondly, Aristotle had a clear idea of the importance of tradition in the growth of knowledge. Aristotle never devoted much study to cosmetics. But it was worth pondering to him. Aristotle’s studies in ‘politics and agriculture’ were impressive though. Aristotle felt the need for system: if human knowledge is not unitary, neither is it a mere disconnected plurality.

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Distributive Justice Distributive justice concerns the fair, just or equitable distribution of benefits and burdens. These benefits and burdens span all dimensions of social life and assume all forms, including income, economic wealth, political power, taxation, work obligations, education, shelter, health care, military service, community involvement and religious activities. Thus, justice arguments are often invoked in connection with minimum wage legislation, Affirmative Action policies, public education, military conscription, litigation, as well as with redistributive policies such as welfare, Medicare, aid to the developing world, progressive income taxes and inheritance taxes. Distributive justice enjoys a long and honored tradition in political, economic and social thought. It is central to Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics (1976) and Politics (1999).

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Aristotle advanced the philosophy of ethics, where he demonstrated that it is a means of achieving an end to happiness. However, happiness means many things to different people. To Aristotle, the most adequate way to pursue happiness is through the virtue of excellence. In his writings, Aristotle connected his therory of virtue to economics, and leadership as well. It is a matter of connecting ones personal ethics to that of ones business ethics.

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