PHIL 1313 ARISTOTLE S ETHICS OXFORD ED GRADE 0 1 2 3 Reading Response NE 1 3 Nicomachean Ethics I 8 13 pp 12 21 1 Full Name McKayla Bobbitt Section 10 PART I READING QUESTIONS 1 Book I 8 Why does Aristotle say that even if the actively maintained condition is present it is possible for it to accomplish no good OXFORD For the state of mind may exist without producing any good result Oxford What point is he trying to make Aristotle is saying that even though you may possess a certain character trait unless I produces a result it is nothing A man may be asleep but unless his sleep in turn changes his life it accomplishes no good Aristotle is trying to make the point that just because a man may possess intelligence but if he does not use it and produce results it is of no good so the good and noble things in life are won by those who act rightly 1099a5 Aristotle just wants people to understand it s not the traits you possess but the way you use those traits to benefit yourself or the world that matters the most 2 Book I 8 Why does Aristotle maintain that actions in accordance with virtue would be pleasant in themselves Oxford virtuous actions must be in themselves pleasant Aristotle makes the statement that actions performed in conformity with virtue are pleasant by nature pleasant acts conflict with one another because they are not pleasant by nature 1099a10 Aristotle continues to make the point that men who love what is noble derive pleasure from the things that are noble by nature Naturally pleasant things are those things that conform to virtue the things that transform themselves into virtuous things such actions are not only pleasant for those who love the noble but also pleasant in themselves 1099a15 Basically Aristotle is saying you have to enjoy what is good in order for it to be pleasant by nature a man must enjoy doing justly actions in order for him to claim to love justice 3 Book I 9 Why does Aristotle maintain that what is greatest and most beautiful to be left to chance would be too discordant Oxford To entrust to chance what is greatest and most noble would be a very defective arrangement In this line Aristotle is saying that to leave what is most noble beautiful or the greatest up to chance would be misguided Take for instance in the 20th century music genre we see aleatoric techniques which allowed chance mechanisms to determine the structure of a piece of music In modern art we tend to allow chance processes to play a major role in the creation of beauty Love which is easily considered the greatest and most noble is something we leave up to chance way too often All the things we leave up to chance are things of great importance to us and it just seems wrong to leave something so dear to our lives up to chance Chance means that there s a possibility for failure how is that right Aristotle suggest the solution to this problem by according to the good of man happiness is some kind of activity of the soul in conformity with virtue 1099b25 2 4 Explain what Aristotle means when he says that happiness is a certain sort of being at work of the soul in accordance with virtue Oxford happiness is a virtuous activity of soul of a certain kind When Aristotle refers to happiness as being some kind of activity of the soul in conformity with virtue 1099b25 he is making the statement that happiness doesn t happen by chance It comes hand in hand with pleasure and virtue for our term activity in conformity with virtue implies virtue 1098b30 Happiness is a characteristic in which we should create good from but it s more than just that But it does doubtless make a considerable difference whether we think of the highest good as consisting in possession or in practice of virtue as being a characteristic or an activity 1098b30 Happiness is more of an activity than a state of being so happiness doesn t have much to do with feelings rather it has to do with whether you have your act together so to speak But it has to do with the thriving of the soul rather than the body 5 Why does Aristotle say that the person who will be happy throughout life will always be acting and contemplating the things that go along with virtue Oxford he will be happy throughout his life he will do and contemplate what is excellent As Aristotle has pointed out many times virtue and happiness go hand in hand So a man who pursues happiness must in turn pursue virtue as well He will throughout his life strive to increase his knowledge in all things he will bear the vicissitudes of fortune most nobly and with perfect decorum under all circumstances inasmuch as he is truly good and four squared beyond reproach 1100b15 1100b20 He will contemplate all things relating to irtue in order to maintain his happiness to the highest degree 6 Why does Aristotle maintain that happiness is among the things that are honored Oxford honored rather than among the things that are praised Oxford prized see p 210 in your text for a note on this Aristotle believes happiness is honored rather than being praised because it an actual good not potential for clearly it is not to be placed among potentialities Everything that is praised seems to be praised because it is of a certain kind and is related somehow to something else for we praise the just or brave man because of the actions and functions involved and we praise the strong man because he is of a certain kind and is related in a certain way to something good and important 1101b10 1101b15 We praise things because it requires effort in order to be accomplished but happiness is something one develops therefore it is honored A man does not go out and work for his happiness but yet creates his happiness through his virtuous living 7 What is the relationship between virtue and happiness according to Aristotle Aristotle relates virtue and happiness almost religiously throughout the whole first book Happiness the highest good depends on ourselves More than anybody else Aristotle enshrines happiness as a central purpose of human life and a goal in itself Happiness depends on the cultivation of virtue though his virtues are somewhat more individualistic than the essentially social virtues of the time Yet as we see Aristotle was convinced that a genuinely happy life required the fulfillment of a broad range of conditions including physical as well as mental well being For we always choose happiness for as end in itself and never for the sake of something else 1097b Aristotle s search for the good