Aristotle's Complete Works, Volume 8

Author: Aristotle
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1997-01-01
Features: This volume includes three works on Aristotelian ethics and one essay, "On Good and Evil." Among the three ethical works, the Eudemian Ethics is clearly compiled by a student named Eudemus. The titles of the other two works, however, are open to interpretation. There are two explanations for the title of the Nicomachean Ethics: one is that Aristotle wrote it in memory of his father, and the other is that he composed it in mourning for his deceased young son, who shared the name of his father, Nicomachus. The Great Ethics was originally the shortest of the three, yet why is it called "Great" (mega)? Some scholars offer this explanation: ancient books were not bound into volumes but rather rolled up in sections, known as "scrolls." The length of this book was not easily divided into ten or eight scrolls, so it was all rolled together, resulting in a large scroll, hence the name. However, the authenticity of this volume and "On Good and Evil" has long been questioned by scholars.
The Nicomachean Ethics is complete in content, well-structured, and written in more concise and fluent prose, leading many to believe that it is the only extant work by Aristotle that was personally edited and finalized by the author himself. In terms of content, the three ethical works are largely similar, with the other two often being direct copies or revisions of the Nicomachean Ethics, except for the tenth book, which is unique to the Nicomachean Ethics. This tenth book, in fact, crystallizes the love of wisdom in Greek philosophy within ethics. Here, Aristotle elevates contemplation, intellect, and wisdom to the pinnacle of virtue, defining perfect happiness as contemplative activity, which is the actualization of living in accordance with one's own virtue. Contemplation is self-sufficient, leisurely, and tireless, as a contemplative person requires nothing and desires nothing from external things; it is powerful, enduring, and ceaseless. Compared to any other activity, we are more inclined toward continuous contemplation. Contemplative activity is related to the divine; for humans, intellect (nous) is divine. If one were to grant life and activity to the divine, it would only be contemplation that is self-reliant and focused solely on itself. The divine finds its highest, blessed state (makar) in its contemplation of itself, and humans, by resembling the divine in their contemplation, can enjoy perfect happiness (eudaimonia).
At the same time, intellect is the noblest part of the soul or the part most akin to the divine. The divine, of course, favors those who love intellect and act in accordance with it. Philosophy, as the study of pure and enduring wisdom, brings extraordinary joy. The Nicomachean Ethics was previously published as a standalone volume in the series "Foreign Masterpieces of Ethics." For this inclusion in the complete works, the entire translation has been meticulously checked against the Greek original by Yan Yi and referenced the Oxford Classical Texts edition.