Aristotle has given the world immense knowledge including a wide range of aspects such as arts, science and politics. By the modern audiences, he is well remembered through his answer of human’s most basic question, what it means to be happy. The paper aims to discuss Aristotle’s the Nicomachean Ethics and argue if it is an ethical system or not with reasons.
One of the most influential books of the moral philosophy is The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle. All philosophers including Rawls and Kant have discussed their perspective on the good life and happiness. In this book, Aristotle raises questions regarding virtues. The ways one should act or the way one should live. According to him, a man should act according to reasons. The moral that Aristotle wanted to convey was the intention of action will be overridden once the actions are based on ethics. There six aspects on which Aristotle has presented his thoughts. The six books are based on, politics and morality, happiness, wealth, the middle ground, justice and friendship.
According to Aristotle, good is the supreme goal of life. The highest human good is happiness. He distinguished three types of happiness, pleasure, politics and meditation. Pleasure is the life as the body, politics is the life as per the rhetoric of honour and meditation is according to the reason (Sicart 230). Creating hierarchy, Aristotle states the pursuit of pleasure is a form of “bestial life”, then bring a man to his primitive state and lastly pre-civilization. In the same way, Aristotle condemns life on the basis of honour since this life depends on others. However, according to him happiness should be independent and depend solely on self. Money, stated Aristotle, cannot be the end of life although it may be a means. Wealth is useful and not necessary. The right way to find happiness is to act according to virtue. It is the man who is entirely responsible for own happiness. Therefore since through virtues happiness can be achieved, virtues need to be practised continuously and not be episodic. On Aristotle and the middle ground, the simple rule is asked to be followed, avoid excess and follow golden mean. Also, according to Aristotle the traits of a wise person are courage, prudence, temperance, liberality, meekness, magnanimity and gentleness are the traits. Aristotle differentiates between two aspects regarding the concept of justice individual justice and global justice. The former is related to the virtues while the latter is associated with the laws and the reasons. It is entirely political and reality when justice is considered in regard to Aristotle. Lastly, Aristotle discusses friendship describing it as the most essential thing in life. According to him, there would be no one who would choose to live if they are without any friend regardless of all the property one possess. Friendship to him is of three kinds, interest, pleasure and virtue.
Ethics is the discipline that is concerned about things that are morally good and bad. The theory can be applied to any system, principle, theory or moral values. Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics can be called a valid ethical system. When the system is considered with four principles of ethics, it can be stated that Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics guides the decision maker to do the right thing or the good thing over the wrong and bad (Polansky 69). The system pushes towards the decision maker making decisions that would make the least harm. The system respects autonomy by making choices and taking control of own action. Lastly, considering the justice, the system helps to make justice to self by ensuring happiness without interfering others (Bourget and Chalmers 470).
However, there are aspects that cannot be overlooked in this system of ethics. The ethics of Aristotle was probably suitable in his period, today things are entirely different, diverse and flexible. Therefore, the ethical system of Aristotle may not be considered ideal today. Also, the characteristics of Aristotle’s virtues are masculine and frequently related to the battlefield. Therefore, it is unethical in the first place to not consider virtues from the feminine lens.
Aristotle’s
moral theory is focused on virtues and recommendation of the virtuous life
through the existing relation between happiness. The ways people can be happy
and yet ethical is the focus of Aristotle. However, there are certain concerns
due to the time gap between Aristotle and today. By performing human actions,
investigation and craft human can understand the way of performing work through
ethics.
References:
Bourget, David, and David J. Chalmers. “What do philosophers believe?.” Philosophical Studies 170.3 2014: 465-500.
Polansky, Ronald, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Cambridge University Press, 2014. 65-76
Sicart, Miguel. “Playing the good life: Gamification and ethics.” The gameful world: Approaches, issues, applications (2015): 225-244.
