Aristotle: The exciting Nicomachean Ethics and how it helps us to channel ourselves towards Virtue (Part One)

  • 2018
Table of contents hide 1 Who was Aristotle 2 The Ethics for Aristotle 3 Virtues Morales in Aristotle 4 The theme of Virtue: Ordering Desire

"There is only happiness where there is virtue and serious effort, because life is not a game."

Aristotle

We are practical beings . Our lives are made up of actions that we carry out one after the other, successively. You study to receive yourself, you get to get a job, you work to earn money, you use money to acquire amenities, you want those amenities to… etc.

It seems that all our actions are aimed at a desired good . Although many times we end up coiled in a chain of means to get something that we don't know what it is .

Is there a final objective to which our actions are directed? What is valuable in itself and not as a means to something else?

Well, Aristotle thinks so: Eudaimonia (" eu " -well, " daimōn " -spirit), the Greek word for happiness, well-being or prosperity .

In his book Nicomachean Ethics, he wonders how man can get eudaimonia in his life.

But to understand his philosophy, let's first review briefly who Aristotle was.

Who was Aristotle

Aristotle (Estagira, 384 BC - Calcis, 322 BC) is one of the Greek thinkers whose contributions have been most significant for Western thought.

He was a disciple of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great, and managed to evolve most of the scientific areas he addressed. He is recognized, for example, for being the father of logic and biology. It is also said that Aristotle was the philosopher of the Middle Fair . Later we will see why.

Aristotle argues that every time man carries out an action, he does so in search of a good. The supreme good is happiness, and happiness is wisdom.

In this work he relates character to happiness, and explains the importance of Virtue, and this is what we will talk about next.

First, and very important, is to understand that Virtue for the ancient Greeks is not the concept of current virtue. It is not an inner quality, but the properties that something possesses that allows it to concretize its function correctly.

The Ethics for Aristotle

The ethics for Arist teles is within the knowledge that he calls practical wisdom, because it amounts to the action of man, not thought.

He wants to understand what gives man the chance to live well, to achieve his happiness. He says that our end is lasting happiness . Now, to achieve our function we must see what is the Virtue that leads us to it.

The answer to this question lies in a property that is distinctive of man.

According to Arist teles, we are rational animals . Man also has instincts and appetites, but if we were guided only by them we would not be different from other animals. We have the ability to transcend the nature with which we were born, by reason . Therefore, what distinguishes us, our Virtue, will have to do with reasoning, or as Aristà © teles calls it, logos .

But the logos alone is not enough, since it can be reasoned towards good or evil. It will therefore need to be used virtuously.

Arist te tells them that the reasoning establishes the plan, but instinct can choose whether or not to comply. If you live with Virtue, you will act according to the plan .

This is important because in our life we can constantly turn towards good . Towards our happiness, our eudaimonia. But many times our desire is stronger than our practice of Virtue. We are thus our own obstacle, our frustration. We deny our ability to reach fullness.

From simple health and wellness issues, such as losing weight on a diet, to more morally relevant issues. We will always depend on our virtue .

As far as virtue is concerned, Aristotle distinguishes two types: Morales and Intellectuals.

Virtues Morales in Aristotle

We are born with a natural disposition to activities such as perceiving, digesting, desiring, growing, etc. These provisions are inserted in us by default, but there are others that can be shaped with training.

The product of this training Aristotle calls it habit. Through habits, you can change your nature and shape the instinct with Virtue.

That is, forge your character. If habits are good, your character will be virtuous. Otherwise, your character will be vicious.

This is where your task comes into play. What are the habits you are practicing? How are you shaping your character? What is the end that is motivating your behaviors?

Then, the Moral Virtue is oriented towards the end to which our actions are directed .

Aristotle says: " Therefore, Virtue is a habit, a quality that depends on our will, consisting in this means that relates to us, and that is regulated by reason in the way that the truly wise man would regulate it " .

We are shaping our character continuously since childhood, which is really good news. Every moment of our life is an opportunity to reprogram ourselves and shape our habits in a virtuous way.

But there is also a point that we must understand. Virtue does not mean doing unwanted actions just because we must do it. The action is not by itself the one that denotes Virtue.

One could help an old woman cross the street just to impress a girl.

No. To judge the character you have to see the inner state of the person, how it feels to perform the action.

The theme of Virtue: Ordering Desire

We know that our natural configuration is to seek pleasure and avoid pain. But this is not necessarily vicious in itself.

Pleasure and pain are natural sensations. The question is not to suppress those feelings, but to mold them . Reorganize them to feel pleasure in acting virtuously and pain in the vicious act.

This, my dear friends, is given with time and discipline . At first, moral acts may feel forced, but the practice shapes the character.

You can focus your life towards the goal of pursuing Good.

You can achieve happiness and well-being by reorganizing your character. It is not an easy task, but it is an achievable task .

And it is completely in your hands.

What is written so far is enough to start doing an examination of conscience about our habits and behaviors . To make the decisions we believe necessary in this regard. What will we choose, Virtue or vice?

We have to understand that our own balance depends on that decision, beyond what others see in us.

I want, through this little article, to encourage you to embark on this process. Life has another flavor when you head towards Virtue .

In future articles I will talk about Intellectual Virtues, and I will delve into the tools that this exciting work of this impeccable thinker gives us.

I wait for you there.

AUTHOR: Lucas, editor in the big family of hermandadblanca.org

SOURCES:

  • “Ethics to Nicómano”, Aristotle
  • https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arist%C3%B3teles

Next Article