Nicomachean Ethics
(sometimes spelled "Nichomachean"), or Ta Ethika, is a work by Aristotle on virtue and moral character which plays a prominent role in defining Aristotelian ethics. It consists of ten books based on notes from his lectures at the Lyceum and were either edited by or dedicated to Aristotle's son, Nicomachus.
Nicomachean Ethics focuses on the importance of habitually behaving virtuously and developing a virtuous character. Aristotle emphasized the importance of context to ethical behavior, and the ability of the virtuous person to recognize the best course of action. Aristotle argued that eudaimonia is the goal of life, and that a person's pursuit of eudaimonia, rightly conceived, will result in virtuous conduct.
Scholars believe that the Nicomachean Ethics was either edited by or dedicated to Aristotle's son and pupil Nicomachus, although the work itself does not explain the source of its name.[1] One prominent Aristotle scholar, characterizing the state of the text that has been handed down to us, calls the Nicomachean Ethics a "pushmepullyou volume", "an absurdity, surely put together by a desperate scribe or an unscrupulous bookseller and not united by an author or an editor."[2]
-Nicomachaean Ethics = Ethics for a victorious fighter/contestant
Νίκη =[nike] = Victory
μαχέομαι = [macheomai] = to fight
Overview
General ethics
Book 1: The study of the good
Perseus Project Nic.+Eth.1094a
] Goal-directed ethics
Aristotle's ethics is often called teleological or goal-directed. According to Aristotle, every thing has a purpose or end. A knife, for example, has the purpose of cutting things. A good knife is good at cutting things, and therefore knives should be sharp. Similarly, people have a purpose. People should do things that help them fulfill that purpose or end: things that are for their good.
There are many actions, crafts, and sciences. The ends turn out to be many as well; for health is the end of medicine, a boat of boat...