The Nicomachean Ethics

Aristotle, (Translator) Harris Rackham, (Introduction) Stephen Watt

ISBN 10: 185326461X / ISBN 13: 9781853264610

Published by Wordsworth Editions, 1997

About this Item

(Wordsworth Classics of World Literature). To the poet Dante, Aristotle was 'the master of those who know.' That'll do for the rest of us as an impetus to read these views onwhat makes a good life worth living through the mind. 287p.

Seller Inventory # 2112909

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Nicomachean Ethics
• Publisher: Wordsworth Editions
• Publication Date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 185326461X
• ISBN 13: 9781853264610
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • PHILOSOPHY

About this title

Synopsis

Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle, which he is said to have dedicated to his son Nicomachus, Aristotle's guiding question is what is the best thing for a human being? His answer is happiness. Happiness he wrote, is the best, noblest, and most pleasant thing in the world; But he means not something we feel, not an emotion, but rather an especially good kind of life. Happiness is made up of activities in which we use the best human capacities, both ones that contribute to our flourishing as members of a community, and ones that allow us to engage in god-like contemplation. Contemporary ethical writings on the role and importance of the moral virtues such as courage and justice have drawn inspiration from this work, which also contains important discussions on responsibility, practical reasoning, and on the role of friendship in creating the best life.

About the Author

Aristotle (384-322BC) is the philosopher who has most influence on the development of western culture, writing on a wide variety of subjects including the natural sciences as well as the more strictly philosophical topics of logic, metaphysics and ethics. To the poet Dante, he was simply 'the master of those who know'. The Ethics contains his views on what makes a good human life. While the work continues to stimulate and challenge modern philosophers, the general course of the argument is easily accessible to the non-specialist. Both as a key influence in the history of ideas and as a work containing unique insights into the human condition, this is a book that simply demands to be read.