
Nicomachean Ethics
by Aristotle
'Nicomachean Ethics' Summary
The theme of the work is a Socratic question previously explored in the works of Plato, Aristotle's friend and teacher, of how men should best live. In his Metaphysics, Aristotle described how Socrates, the friend and teacher of Plato, had turned philosophy to human questions, whereas pre-Socratic philosophy had only been theoretical. Ethics, as now separated out for discussion by Aristotle, is practical rather than theoretical, in the original Aristotelian senses of these terms. In other words, it is not only a contemplation about good living, because it also aims to create good living. It is therefore connected to Aristotle's other practical work, the Politics, which similarly aims at people becoming good. Ethics is about how individuals should best live, while the study of politics is from the perspective of a law-giver, looking at the good of a whole community.
The Nicomachean Ethics is widely considered one of the most important historical philosophical works and had an important influence on the European Middle Ages, becoming one of the core works of medieval philosophy. It therefore indirectly became critical in the development of all modern philosophy as well as European law and theology. Many parts of the Nicomachean Ethics are well known in their own right, within different fields. In the Middle Ages, a synthesis between Aristotelian ethics and Christian theology became widespread, in Europe as introduced by Albertus Magnus. While various philosophers had influenced Christendom since its earliest times, in Western Europe Aristotle became "the Philosopher". The most important version of this synthesis was that of Thomas Aquinas. Other more "Averroist" Aristotelians such as Marsilius of Padua were controversial but also influential. (Marsilius is for example sometimes said to have influenced the controversial English political reformer Thomas Cromwell.)
A critical period in the history of this work's influence is at the end of the Middle Ages, and beginning of modernity, when several authors such as Francis Bacon and Thomas Hobbes, argued forcefully and largely successfully that the medieval Aristotelian tradition in practical thinking had become a great impediment to philosophy in their time. However, in more recent generations, Aristotle's original works (if not those of his medieval followers) have once again become an important source. More recent authors influenced by this work include Alasdair MacIntyre, G. E. M. Anscombe, Hans-Georg Gadamer, and Martha Nussbaum.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
GreekPublished In
Authors

Aristotle
Greece
Aristotle (384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Lyceum, the Peripatetic school of philosophy...
Books by AristotleDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books

Utopia by Sir Thomas More
Utopia (Libellus vere aureus, nec minus salutaris quam festivus, de optimo rei publicae statu deque nova insula Utopia, "A little, true book, not less...

Cases of Conscience Resolved by John Owen
This book is a collection of questions and answers delivered at church meetings on various subjects, particularly relating to personal holiness, grace...

Abominations of Modern Society by Thomas De Witt Talmage
This book is a collection of sermons by Thomas De Witt Talmage, a prominent American preacher of the late 19th century. Talmage was known for his fier...

Visits To The Dead In The Catacombs Of Rome by George Washington Greene
George Washington Greene, a seasoned observer and former United States consul in Rome, offers a glimpse into the historical and cultural significance...

Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias by Bartolomé de las Casas
A scathing indictment of the Spanish conquest of the Americas, "Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias" provides a firsthand account of th...

On the Ends of Good and Evil by Marcus Tullius Cicero
De finibus bonorum et malorum ("On the ends of good and evil") is a Socratic dialogue by the Roman orator, politician, and Academic Skeptic philosophe...

Is War Diminishing? by Frederick Adams Woods
It argues that despite the many technological advancements of the modern world, war is not diminishing, but is instead becoming more frequent and more...

Antichrist by Friedrich Nietzsche
In "Antichrist", Nietzsche launches a scathing critique of Christianity and its influence on Western culture. He argues that the Christian moral syste...

Modern Prophets and Other Sketches by Pansy (Isabella Macdonald Alden)
Modern Prophets and Other Sketches is a collection of short stories and sketches that explore the issue of temperance and prohibition. Each story take...

The Enchiridion by Epictetus
The Enchiridion or Handbook of Epictetus (Ancient Greek: Ἐγχειρίδιον Ἐπικτήτου, Enkheirídion Epiktḗtou) is a short manual of Stoic ethical advice comp...
Reviews for Nicomachean Ethics
No reviews posted or approved, yet...