Nicomachean Ethics
Virtue and flourishing
The Nicomachean Ethics is Aristotle's foundational work on moral philosophy, likely named for his son Nicomachus.
It examines how humans achieve eudaimonia—often translated as happiness or flourishing—through virtuous action and rational living.
The treatise argues that virtue is a habit developed through practice, hitting the mean between excess and deficiency: courage lies between recklessness and cowardice.
She's taking a seminar on the Nicomachean Ethics this semester.
Fortitude facing danger
- temperanceHabitual moderation in behavior
- justiceFair treatment under law
- prudenceCareful, wise judgment
- magnanimityGenerous, noble spirit
magnificence · truthfulness · wittiness · friendliness · moderation · practical wisdom · moral virtue · character
Aristotle's Athenian teaching grounds
- PlatoGreek philosopher, academy founder
- SocratesAncient Athenian questioning philosopher
- ancient GreeceClassical Mediterranean civilization
- philosophyStudy of fundamental truths
metaphysics · logic · rhetoric · poetics · biology · politics · Aristotelianism · tutor
Prospering vigorously
- well-beingState of health, contentment
- happinessJoyful emotional state
- human flourishingOptimal living and wellbeing
- highest goodUltimate ethical end
living well · self-sufficiency · blessed · contemplation · function · telos · fulfillment · prosperity
Study of right conduct
- normativeSetting behavioral standards
- right actionMorally sound deed
- voluntary actionDeed done by choice
- choiceAct of selecting
deliberation · responsibility · blame · praise · weakness of will · incontinence · intention · prohairesis
Suffix for attraction
- goodwillKindly, generous spirit
- affectionWarm emotional attachment
- benefactorOne who gives aid
- reciprocityMutual exchange of actions
equality · self-love · benevolence · companionship · concord · mutual benefit
Divine wisdom personified
- nousFaculty of rational thought
- understandingMental comprehension of something
- first principlesBasic truths underlying reasoning
- scientific knowledgeFacts established through research
courage
Fortitude facing danger
- temperanceHabitual moderation in behavior
- justiceFair treatment under law
- prudenceCareful, wise judgment
magnanimity · magnificence · truthfulness · wittiness · friendliness · moderation · practical wisdom · moral virtue · character · habituation
Lyceum
Aristotle's Athenian teaching grounds
- PlatoGreek philosopher, academy founder
- SocratesAncient Athenian questioning philosopher
- ancient GreeceClassical Mediterranean civilization
philosophy · metaphysics · logic · rhetoric · poetics · biology · politics · Aristotelianism · tutor · Alexander the Great
flourishing
Prospering vigorously
- well-beingState of health, contentment
- happinessJoyful emotional state
- human flourishingOptimal living and wellbeing
highest good · living well · self-sufficiency · blessed · contemplation · function · telos · fulfillment · prosperity · success
moral philosophy
Study of right conduct
- normativeSetting behavioral standards
- right actionMorally sound deed
- voluntary actionDeed done by choice
choice · deliberation · responsibility · blame · praise · weakness of will · incontinence · intention · prohairesis · moral education
philia
Suffix for attraction
- goodwillKindly, generous spirit
- affectionWarm emotional attachment
- benefactorOne who gives aid
reciprocity · equality · self-love · benevolence · companionship · concord · mutual benefit
sophia
Divine wisdom personified
- nousFaculty of rational thought
- understandingMental comprehension of something
- first principlesBasic truths underlying reasoning
- ancient GreeceAthens, Sparta, Zeus, Parthenon, Acropolis
- philosophylogic, metaphysics, ontology, epistemology, axiology
- ancient ethicsAristotle, Plato, Socrates, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius
- Ancient Greek WorksRepublic, Symposium, Theogony
- ancient philosophyPlato, Aristotle, Socrates, Platonism, Epicureanism
- ancient textsscrolls, scroll, Euclid's Elements, Epic of Gilgamesh, codex
Nicomachean EthicsUtilitarianism
Ethics maximizing overall wellbeing
The Prince · consequentialism · Leviathan · moral relativism · The Social Contract
Nicomachean Ethicsamoralism
Rejection of moral categories
nihilism · The Prince · libertinism · egoism · hedonism