Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics: Virtue and Happiness

Ethics

Education

Aristotle attended Plato's Academy for twenty years and was a tutor to Alexander the Great.

Lyceum

The school opened by Aristotle in Athens, known as a peripatetic school where philosophers walked in gardens and philosophized.

Virtue and the Cultivation of the Soul

The concept that one's character (ethos) determines their fate (daimon), emphasizing the importance of examining and living one's life with virtue.

Happiness

The highest human good, also known as Eudaimonia, which is the ultimate end of actions and pursuits.

Prudent

Practical wisdom, known as Phronesis, essential for making sound judgments and decisions.

Virtue

Moral excellence, referred to as Arete, representing the quality of being virtuous and morally upright.

Episteme

Knowledge or science, denoting a deeper understanding or expertise in a particular subject.

Telos

The ultimate end or purpose of actions, often associated with achieving completeness and self-sufficiency.

Temple of Apollo at Delphi

An ancient Greek temple known for the inscription 'Know Yourself' and the principle of 'All Things in Moderation'.

Virtuous Actions and Virtue

The idea that virtuous actions lead to the best outcomes concerning pleasure and pain, while vice results in the opposite.

Four Cardinal Virtues

The virtues of Courage, Prudence, Temperance, and Justice, as outlined by Plato in the Republic.

Voluntary Action

Actions that are within our control and are chosen deliberately, often guided by reason and thought.

Courage

The virtue that lies between excess and deficiency, characterized by facing fear with confidence and not succumbing to recklessness or cowardice.

LICENTIOUSNESS

Excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures, lacking moral restraint.

TEMPERANCE (moderation)

Moderation and self-restraint in action or self-control.

INSENSIBILITY

Lack of sensitivity or regard, especially in response to something that would normally elicit emotion.

MAGNIFICENCE

The quality of being grand or imposing.

MAGNANIMITY

The virtue of being great-souled, characterized by a dignified and generous spirit.

AMBITION

A strong desire to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work.

GENTLENESS

The quality of being kind, tender, or mild-mannered.

FRIENDLINESS

The quality of being friendly, pleasant, or amiable towards others.

TRUTHFULNESS

The quality of being honest, sincere, and telling the truth.

WITTINESS

The quality of being clever, humorous, and quick-witted.

SHAME

A painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior.

JUSTICE

The quality of being fair and reasonable, guided by truth and moral principles.

EPISTEME / KNOWLEDGE

Scientific knowledge or understanding.

NOUS / REASON

The ability to think and make decisions using logic and understanding.

SOPHIA / WISDOM

The quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the soundness of an action or decision.

Phronesis/Prudence

Intellectual virtue allowing one to choose the correct action in a given circumstance and perform it well and for the right reason.

Techne

Intellectual virtue related to craft, art, and skill.

Sophia

One of the two kinds of wisdom, along with Phronesis, concerning intellect and practical things.

Akrasia

Warning against lack of self-restraint, vice, and brutishness.

Friendship

Accomplished by virtue and deemed essential for life, especially for those who are wealthy or in positions of power.

Philosophical Concepts

Include self-love, utility, pleasantness, and the good in relationships and friendships.

Eudaimonia

Complete happiness and the contemplative life, self-sufficient and divine within us.

Self-Love

Loving oneself and others, as emphasized in various philosophical teachings.

Contemplative Life

Living with virtue and achieving happiness, often associated with divine elements.