Nicomachean Ethics
A treatise on flourishing, virtue, friendship, and practical judgment.
Aristotle
Ancient Greek philosopher; Peripatetic tradition
Explore this tradition and related voices →Aristotle describes judgment that is sensitive to the person, occasion, motive, and manner of acting. A fitting measure is not an automatic halfway point.
The person behind the ideas
Born in Stagira in 384 BCE, Aristotle studied at Plato’s Academy and later established the Lyceum in Athens. His investigations ranged from living things and logic to politics, poetry, and ethics. In the Nicomachean Ethics, character develops through action, education, and practical judgment.
Biography sources
Biography reference →At a glance
- Born
- 384 BCE
- Died
- 322 BCE
- Birthplace
- Stagira, northern Greece
- Notable works
- Nicomachean Ethics · Politics · Poetics
- Tradition
- Ancient Greek philosopher; Peripatetic tradition
Ideas and outlook
Aristotle investigates how things work and what allows human beings to flourish. His ethics connects good character with practiced action and practical judgment; his wider inquiries include logic, nature, politics, and art.
About the works
Politics
An inquiry into political communities, citizenship, and constitutions.
Poetics
An analysis of poetry and dramatic representation, especially tragedy.
Life milestones
- c. 367 BCE
Enters Plato’s Academy in Athens as a young student.
- 343 BCE
Travels to Macedon to tutor the future Alexander the Great.
- 335 BCE
Returns to Athens and establishes the Lyceum.
From this voice
A thought in the atlas
“For in everything it is no easy task to find the middle…”
Nicomachean Ethics · Book II, 9
MeasureOther quotes across journeys
From Socrates to the Stoics
we become just by doing just acts
Nicomachean Ethics · Book II, 1, 1103b · excerpt
Visit this journey →Source details
Nicomachean Ethics · Book II, 1, 1103b · excerpt
Aristotle compares learning virtue with learning a craft. Later in Book II, he adds that genuinely virtuous action requires knowledge, deliberate choice, and stable character. Repetition alone is not enough, and virtue is not an automatic compromise between right and wrong.
Read the source ↗Measure · Blessed
Aristotle describes judgment that is sensitive to the person, occasion, motive, and manner of acting. A fitting measure is not an automatic halfway point.
This is not a compromise between right and wrong. Aristotle also excludes some actions from the idea of a virtuous mean. The task is to discern what a situation calls for.
Read the original source →