Aristotle

Ethics is an inexact science

• isn’t like math, it isn’t always clear and straightforward

• there will be exceptions and not every situation is the same

Types of Goods

• good for something else—> money

• good in itself—> happiness, not just a feeling, but it’s living well over a lifetime

Happiness

• good that’s good in itself

  • needs to be complete

  • needs to be self sufficient

Proper Activity/Function Argument

• our happiness is dependent on our function/proper activity and if we do our proper activity well, in accordance with it’s virtue

  • EX: proper activity of a violin player is to play the violin. If they perform the proper activity well, which would be playing the violin with skill, then they’ll be performing the proper activity with virtue. Performing a proper activity with virtue will therefore lead to happiness. Performing a proper activity with virtue consistently will lead to happiness as happiness to Aristotle isn’t a feeling but a state of flourishing.

    • virtue = performing proper activity well

    • vice = performing proper activity poorly

External Circumstances Matter For Happiness

• happiness isn’t just acting virtuously

• it’s also dependent on some external factors that are out of your control such as your social/economic standing, your looks, and the amount of misfortune you face

• Aristotle says that if you face a lot of misfortune or are ugly, you may not achieve happiness as happiness is also dependent on external factors

Is happiness the same for everyone?

• yes, b/c happiness or the human good stems from doing our proper activity with virtue aka well, so if our proper activity as humans is to reason, to do it with virtue means to live a life with consistent rationality or reasoning which will lead to happiness. Since our proper activity is the same because we are all humans, our happiness or human good is the same for everyone

Virtue/Doctrine of the Mean

• doctrine of the mean

  • virtue is a state of choice of the relative mean guided by reasoning, reasoning that’s similar to a man of wisdom

  • it’s the mean/choice between excess and deficiency

How do we use reason with virtue?

• reason is what allows us to see and choose the mean or what’s virtuous

• reasoning is our ability or capacity to apply reasoning into action

How do you become virtuous?

• by doing virtuous things, acting virtuously, working at it like a craftsmen is working at his craft. It needs to become a habit

• watching/ observing and imitating virtuous people and their actions

• feeling pleasure when doing virtuous things

• virtue is a state of choice, it’s a matter of character