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 be 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 person, for the right reason, and with the right desire, etc. – needs the means by which to commit the act: In x 8 § 4 of the EN it is explained that "the generous person will need money for generous actions, and the just person will need it for paying debts...the brave person will need enough power, and the temperate person will need freedom...to achieve anything that the virtue requires." Other than this the virtuous individual, being human, must have good health, food, shelter, and all other basic necessities of life in order to survive. Furthermore, they will require good relations (i.e. children, spouse, siblings, etc.), and good friends because humans are sociable in nature.
             The sociable nature of humans is a t...