The Nicomachean Ethics, by Aristotle: Translation with Commentaries and Glossary (Synthese Historical Library)

s/t: Translation with Commentaries & Glossary Of Aristotle's works, few have had as lasting an influence on subsequent Western thought as The Nicomachean Ethics . In it, he argues that happiness consists in "activity of the soul in accordance with virtue"; defining virtue as both moral (courage, generosity and justice) and intellectual (knowledge, wisdom and insight). Aristotle also discusses the nature of practical reasoning, the different forms of friendship, and the relationship between individual virtue and the state. Featuring a lucid translation, a new introduction, updated suggestions for further reading, and a chronology of Aristotle's life and works, this is the authoritative edition of a seminal intellectual masterpiece. The principles used in the translation of the Ethics are the same as those in the translations of the Physics and the Metaphysics, and their main function is to help the reader get Aristotle's meaning as accurately as possible. Briefly, they are principles of terminology and of thought, some of which will be repeated here. English terms common to all three translations have the same mean ings, with a few exceptions, and many terms proper to ethics are added. Many of the terms in the Glossary are defined or are made known dia lectically or in some other way. For the term 1tpOUiPEcrt~ the term 'inten tion' or the expression 'deliberate choice' will be used instead of the term 'choice', but the definition will be the same as that given in the Physics and the Metaphysics. Difficulties arise from some allied terms or terms close in meaning, e. g., the terms UUAOC;, KUKOC;, ~OXeT\PO~, and 1tovT\p0C;, for the exact differences of their meanings are not ascertainable from the extant works. Each of these terms, however, seems to be used consistently, and we shall assume such consistency. The choice of the corresponding English terms can only be suggested by the usage of the Greek terms and by induction Cover Title Page Copyright CONTENTS Preface Summary of The Ethics THE NICOMACHEAN ETHICS Book I Book II Book III Book IV Book V Book VI Book VII Book VIII Book IX Book X Commentaries Book I Book II Book III Book IV Book V Book VI Book VII Book VIII Book IX Book X Glossary English-Greek Greek-English Index Errata An detailed examination of what the best life might be for human beings. In order to anwer this question, Aristotle finds he also has to examine what virtue itself is and all of the various virtues that might make up the best life.