Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

             Aristotle's goal in Nicomachean Ethics, Book I, is to argue that since there cannot be an infinite number, "of merely extrinsic goods, there must be a highest good," to which all human activity ultimately aims (Aristotle 1). Every human activity aims at some end, whether it is an activity or a product beyond that activity. The majority of ends are simply means to a higher end, but the highest end is an end in itself. It is Aristotle's belief that the supreme good, or the highest end which we pursue for its own sake, is happiness (Aristotle 2).
             People agree that the supreme good is happiness, "...and suppose that living well and doing well are the same as being happy" (Aristotle 5). The question people tend to disagree about is the nature of happiness. Common people associate happiness with pleasure, and while Aristotle believes that pleasure may be sufficient for animals, he believes that human life has a higher end than purely sensual pleasure (Aristotle 7). Other people believe that the greatest good is found in honor; however, honor is more dependant upon those who award it than upon those who accept it, therefore there must be a greater good than that which honor rewards (Aristotle 7). Money is also thought of by many people as the greatest good, however, money is not useful for itself, but useful only to achieve something else, a greater good (Aristotle 8). From Aristotle's point of view, not even intellect, enjoyment, and virtue are good only in themselves, but good because they are means for us to achieve happiness. Aristotle strongly defends the idea that happiness is the highest good because human beings aim at happiness as an end sufficient in itself and not as a means to an end.
             Aristotle points out that different people have different goods that they pursue in life. "In medicine this is health, in generalship victory, in house-building a house; in another case somethin...

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