Nicomachean Ethics

According to Aristotle, the "highest good" that could ever be achieved, and the only good that mattered in life, was happiness. In order to reach this conclusion of the "highest good", he had four distinct reasons one could easily follow.

·    There is some end of the things we pursue in our actions which we wish for because of itself and because we wish for other things

·    We don’t choose everything because of something else

·   If we do, it will go on without limit, making desire empty and futile

·    This end will be the good; the best good; the highest good.

Based on this statement and class discussions, we are to believe that our choices in life aim to bring us the most happiness, or the least amount of pain. Not many people would willingly put themselves in a position to withstand pain, and if they do, it is for a greater good that makes them happy. If this seems too hard to believe, think of the reasoning the brave men and women have who join the navy, army, marines, or National Guard. They are putting themselves in a position in which they may be harmed, but that thought pales in comparison to the fact that they may be saving someone else’s life, someone who can’t easily defend themselves against the evils of the world.

In reference to the second reason, harsh circumstances could be the something else to which Aristotle is referring. Everything we wish for may not even be achievable at that specific time. He could even mean that we can’t choose everything because we are already happy with what he have. Not many people are fully content with their lives, which is why they constantly strive for more.

In reference to the third reason, wishing for everything without at least pausing to appreciate all of the things you do have is something you would expect from a five year old. One could never reach the highest good by wanting for everything because he or she would always worry about how much is not in his or her possession. 

The fourth statement is not really a reason, but a conclusion to what following the previous statements would bring. The end we seek will hopefully bring us happiness. If not, there was no purpose for making those decisions and everything we would have done will have been for nothing.