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Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

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Now that I have come to a better understanding of Aristotle’s Nicomachean; I believe it’s safe to say I’ve come to a decision. Although I respect the importance Aristotle places on virtue; I don’t completely agree with his outlook as a whole. I tend to find myself picking out, golden nuggets of wisdom and then discarding the rest. In the past, I had blindly accepted Aristotle’s truths, but now I can’t see the practicality of Aristotle’s ethics, especially in today’s society. In my opinion, Aristotle’s version of ethics was so narrow, that the Aristotelian viewpoint almost resembles a social club; rather than an ethical evaluation.

I truly do value Aristotle’s understanding of virtue and it’s importance to human flourishing. because I’m a
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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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This principle lies at the heart of the great-souled man, the first of Aristotle’s peaks of humanly excellence. The great-souled man is chiefly concerned with—and strikes the mean with—external goods. The greatest of these goods is “the one that we assign to the gods, and at which people of high standing aim most of all, and which is the prize given for the most beautiful deeds; and of this kind is honor” (67:1123b19-21). A man who has achieved greatness of soul is deserving of great honors, but more importantly, he understands his own desert and acts appropriately.

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