Nicomachean Ethics. By Aristotle FULL Audiobook
Nicomachean Ethics is a philosophical treatise written by Aristotle in the 4th century BCE. The book is named after Aristotle's son, Nicomachus, to whom the work was dedicated. The book is divided into ten books, and each book is further divided into chapters. The book is a study of ethics and aims to determine how best to achieve happiness.
The book begins with the premise that all human activities aim at some end that we consider good. Most activities are a means to a higher end. The highest human good, then, is that activity that is an end in itself. That good is happiness. When we aim at happiness, we do so for its own sake, not because happiness helps us realize some other end. The goal of the Ethics is to determine how best to achieve happiness. This study is necessarily imprecise, since so much depends on particular circumstances. Happiness depends on living in accordance with appropriate virtues. Virtue is a disposition rather than an activity. That is, a virtuous person is naturally disposed to behave in the right ways and for the right reasons, and to feel pleasure in behaving rightly. Virtue is a mean state between the extremes of excess and deficiency. This mean varies from person to person, so there are no hard and fast rules as to how best to avoid vice.
The book discusses various moral virtues and their corresponding vices. Courage consists of confidence in the face of fear. Temperance consists of not giving in too easily to the pleasures of physical sensation. Liberality and magnificence consist of giving away varying amounts of money in appropriate and tasteful ways. Magnanimity and proper ambition consist of having the right disposition toward honor and knowing what is one’s due. Patience is the appropriate disposition toward anger, though it is sometimes appropriate to show some degree of anger. The three social virtues of amiability, sincerity, and wit make for pleasant and engaging interaction with others. Modesty is not properly a virtue, but an appropriate disposition toward shame, which is admirable in the young. Justice in a sense encompasses all the other virtues, since being just consists of exhibiting virtue generally. In human affairs, there are two primary forms of justice: distributive and rectificatory. Distributive justice deals with the distribution of wealth or honors among a group of people and should be given according to merit. Rectificatory justice deals with exchanges between two or more people and should always aim at restoring a sense of balance and equality between the people concerned.
The book concludes with a discussion of the nature of happiness. Aristotle argues that happiness is the ultimate goal of human life and that it is achieved through the cultivation of virtue. Virtue is a mean state between the extremes of excess and deficiency, and it is achieved through habituation. The virtuous person is naturally disposed to behave in the right ways and for the right reasons, and to feel pleasure in behaving rightly. The virtuous person is also able to recognize the right course of action in any given situation. Aristotle argues that the cultivation of virtue is a lifelong process and that it requires the guidance of a teacher.
In summary, Nicomachean Ethics is a philosophical treatise that explores the nature of happiness and the cultivation of virtue. The book argues that happiness is the ultimate goal of human life and that it is achieved through the cultivation of virtue. Virtue is a mean state between the extremes of excess and deficiency, and it is achieved through habituation. The book discusses various moral virtues and their corresponding vices and concludes with a discussion of the nature of happiness. The book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the study of ethics and the cultivation of virtue.
More: Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, virtue
happiness, good, soul
reason, morality, philosophy
ethics, justice, friendship
pleasure, excellence, education
00:00:00 Editor’s Note
00:00:22 Nicomachean Ethics. Book I
00:52:00 Book II
01:29:45 Book III
02:30:34 Book IV
03:27:43 Book V
04:32:56 Book VI
05:14:34 Book VII
06:17:10 Book VIII
07:12:16 Book IX
08:02:56 Book X
