Nicomachean Ethics and Eudemian Ethics

Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and Eudemian Ethics represent, in many ways, the Western classical springboard for the systematic study and implementation of ethics, the optimum behaviour of the individual. (By contrast, Aristotle’s Politics concerns the optimum blueprint for the city-state.) It is in the hands of each individual, he argues in these books on personal ethics, to develop a character which bases a life on virtue, with positive but moderate habits.  The Nicomachean Ethics, the primary work (the title is said to come from his son Nicomachus and is generally regarded as having been essentially notes for lectures), is divided into 10 books. It opens with a statement on who should study ethics and why and that the pursuance of moral virtue leads to happiness. Courage, temperance, magnanimity, honesty and friendship are among the many qualities considered. Aristotle also outlines some of the obstacles to developing virtue. Throughout, the emphasis is placed on the practical