Study Guide: Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics Dr.

Adams

Human Good:
1. Which of his four causes does Aristotle use in the first sentence of the N. Ethics?
What importance does this perspective have in living one’s life?

2. How does the precision of the science of ethics differ from that of mathematics, and
why?

3. What does Aristotle mean by saying that what is required at the start of life,
childhood, is an unreasoned conviction about the facts, such as is produced by a good
upbringing? (I,4).

4. What are the four popular views as to what constitutes happiness? (I, 5)

5. Name and explain the definitions of happiness. By what logical steps does Aristotle
arrive at the definition? (I, 7)

6. Who or what is responsible for our acquiring happiness? (I, 9)

7. Why do we praise virtue but not happiness? (I,12)

8. What are the two main classes of virtues according to Aristotle? (I,13)

Moral Virtue:
9. How does one acquire moral virtue? (II, 1)

10. What is the means for determining what the virtuous act is here and now? (II, 2)

11. Is virtue pleasant? How is pleasure related to virtue? (II, 3)

12. What is the difference between a good character and a good action?

13. Definition of moral virtue, II,6, 1107 a (first sentence): a) memorize the full
definition and b) explain each section (see II, 5-6); b). c) Identify the genus and the
difference.

Moral virtue, then, is a habit

disposed toward action
by deliberate choice,
being at the mean relative to us,
and defined by reason and
as a prudent man would define it.

14. What does Aristotle mean by the term “mean” in the above definition of moral
virtue? (II, 8-9)

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Deliberation and Choice:

15. On what basis does Aristotle distinguish the classes of voluntary and involuntary
actions and their subclasses? (III, 1) What is the efficient cause of action? (See if you
can make a chart that shows these relationships.)

16. Are we responsible for actions performed when, e.g., intoxicated or under the
influence of an illegal drug? Why? (III, 5) What about a legal drug?

17. Study the definitions for each of the intellectual virtues in Book VI (=Book Z) to see
how they relate and are distinguished from one another.

18. What is the definition of philosophic wisdom? (VI, 7)

What is the definition of practical wisdom, also called prudence (VI, 5).

Pleasure:

19. What is the problem that Aristotle is trying to resolve in Book VII?

20. What are the three types of bad habits of character and the three types of good
qualities of character in relation to the desire for pleasure? (See also X, 1-5).

21. How does Aristotle explain the acts that we call “brutish?” (VII, 5)

Friendship:

22. Name and define the three types of friendship. (VIII, 2-3)

23. What is required for two people to have the third (complete) type of friendship?

Happiness:

24. What does it mean to say that “happiness is an activity?” (X, 6)

How does this concept relate to Aristotle’s idea of the nature and life of god? (Meta. XII, 7).