Aristotle
Aristotle's treatise on ethics, Ethiac Nicomachea (EN), concerns itself with attaining the greatest of human good, happiness. Set forth in the EN are those actions, the moral virtues, which will lead to happiness. The discourse also explores and asserts what is required for the moral virtues and what lends itself to being morally virtuous. Among these Aristotle discusses friendship, its forms, its good, and its need in the life of the morally virtuous. An analysis of moral virtue and its relationship to the best happiness, what external goods must accompany it, how friendship is defined and explained, and how it is considered the greatest of the external goods will help to better understanding how to attain happiness. The moral virtues discussed in EN (i.e. generosity, magnanimity, courage, etc.), in Aristotle's opinion, can give one a secondary sort of happiness to that happiness which is acquired by a life devoted to study. Moral virtues, however, are a means to becoming happy. Moral virtues, though, cannot achieve happiness on there own, and, therefore, one needs external things that are good to reach the goal. One who is virtuous and acts accordingly - in the appropriate manner, at the right time, with the right pe
rson, for the right reason, and with the right desire, etc. Further argument is made that a life of solitude is not conducive to continuous activity, but a life that is enriched with social relations is and is in accord with that which a happy person should be. The range of ideas presented in the EN is only touched on with the above analysis, but some further understanding of Aristotle's aim may be understood. the brave person will need enough power, and the temperate person will need freedom. Once one has attained moral virtue to the highest degree friendship is still needed because it is essential to the further good and pleasure of the happy person. All three forms of friendship are alike insofar as good people are both useful and pleasurable to one another, but they differ in that usefulness and pleasure are not the basis of complete friendship. Furthermore, they will require good relations (i. The sociable nature of human's is a topic that was touched on in the EN more specifically with regard to friendship. The complete friendship is one between two good persons that desire good to the other for the other's own sake. This paradox especially as it pertains to friendship, since the others are a matter of common sense, was addressed in ix 9 of the EN. ), and good friends because humans are sociable in nature. Complete friendship is seen as the best or the finest of the friendships because it is a bond between two virtuous people that wish to increase the good of the other by promoting more virtues, and do this for its own sake because they love the person.
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