Nicomachean ethics

Aristotle explores principles for living the good life. He defines “the good” as that which all things strive for. Since the reason we ultimately do everything is to be happy, he equates happiness with the good. But he admits that’s trite and ventures into a deeper exploration that ultimately comes to happiness being a long-term state of being of living through virtue. Virtue is a relation we have to what we encounter in life that decides our action, and Aristotle argues for taking the middle, median approach. When we face fear, we shouldn’t be reckless or cowardly, but courageous, which is between the two. When we are holding banquets (as one does), we shouldn’t be cheap with ceremonies or too extravagant, but somewhere in between. Amusement and relaxation are important to continue on with life, but not too much of it. Much of the activity he cites involves public life and reputation, which probably relates to how important the public sphere was in Athens at the time.

If you think all that sounds dense, try reading the text, or his lectures on Physics. I took some things from this. It’s helped me shake off some residual purist standards I had for myself. That said, it took me awhile to read this one effectively. Recommended for people who like to read philosophy.
( )

The kind of book you wish you had read a long time ago.

I was privileged enough to get to read the Cambridge Crisp translation (the one I recommend) 0521632218

And also the Oxford, Ross Translation which is also pretty good. ( )

On a first read, while I was able to appreciate the harmony of Aristotle's writing, it made me feel that his Ethics were not well described "in practice". How can I achieve that mean?, how do I know I am doing well?, etc. ( )

NA

This guy's an idiot. This is how the average person thinks the world works. Instead of using any real logic he manipulates his conclusions by making random analogies and makes judgemental statements without defining his terms. Every sentence contains a huge gap in logic. ( )