¶ … Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle explains his theory of virtue and how to become virtuous. The main premise of Aristotle's theory of virtue rests upon the ideal of the "highest good" (Nic. Ethics I 2). Aristotle defines this as happiness, or living well. After this, Aristotle goes on to determine what exactly it means to "live well." He begins this process by stating what does not constitute living well. At first glance, pleasure wealth and honor appear to lead to happiness; however they fall short, as there are examples of persons having these and nonetheless not being happy.
In his attempt to understand happiness then, the philosopher takes a wider view, looking towards human life as a whole in order to determine the elements of a happy, good and virtuous life (Nic. Ethics I 7). In terms of this paradigm, the ultimate happiness lies in spiritual values rather than material acquisitions: human life gains meaning by being functional in the larger scheme of the function of living. Thus, to be virtuous,...
When moderation is applied to the physical, while the focus is primarily on the spiritual, there is balance between the two, and virtue can be achieved. The nature of virtue itself is then also a mean between the two extremes of too much or too little. Balance is the key to finding virtue (Nic. Ethics II 6). Thus for example the mean between rashness and cowardice equals the virtue of courage.
Virtue is thus a spiritual quality that strives to contribute to the function of human life as a whole, and is the only catalyst for true happiness. This quality, according to Aristotle, is something that does not come instinctively, but is cultivated by practice. Virtue is therefore a habit that can be learned by repetition rather than a quality that comes naturally (Nic. Ethics II 6). In this way then, anyone in pursuit of true happiness can attain this by repeating a certain type of…
