Ethics

Abstract

It consists of ten books, which were originally separate scrolls, and are believed to be based on notes from Aristotle's Lyceum lectures, which were either edited by his son Nikomachus or given to his son Aristotle. The theme of the work is the Socratic question, which has already been researched in Plato's works, ie how one should live best. The Nicomachean Ethics is considered one of the most important historical philosophical works, had a significant influence on Europe in the Middle Ages and became one of the basic works of medieval philosophy. Aristotle goes into discussion of what ethics, a term Aristotle helped develop, means. Aristotelian Ethics is about what makes a virtuous character (ethikē aretē) possible, which is in turn necessary if happiness is to be possible. He describes a sequence of necessary steps to achieve this: First, righteous actions, often done under the influence of teachers, allow the development of the right habits. These in turn can allow the development of a good stable character in which the habits are voluntary, and this in turn gives a chance of achieving eudaimonia.