Aristotle Complete Works (Volume 8)

Author: Miao Litian, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1994-03-01
Features: This volume includes three works on Aristotle's ethics and one essay titled "On Good and Evil." Among these three ethical works, "Eudemus' Ethics" is clearly compiled by a student named Eudemus. The titles of the other two are worth reconsideration. There are two interpretations of "Nicomachean Ethics": one is that Aristotle wrote it in memory of his father, and the other is that he wrote it in mourning for his deceased young son, as both father and son were named Nicomachus. "Great Ethics" was originally the shortest among the three, yet why is it called "Great" (mega)? Some scholars explain this by noting that ancient books were not bound into volumes but rolled up in sections, known as "scrolls." This book's length was not suitable for division 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 always been questioned by scholars.
"Nicomachean Ethics" is complete in content, well-structured, and written in more concise and fluent prose. It is considered 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 being largely copies or rewrites of "Nicomachean Ethics," except for the tenth book, which is unique to "Nicomachean Ethics." This tenth book is precisely the crystallization of the Greek philosophical spirit of love of wisdom in ethics. Here, Aristotle elevates contemplation, intellect, and wisdom to the pinnacle of virtue, defining perfect happiness as contemplative activity, which is the actualization of one's own virtue. Contemplation is self-sufficient, leisurely, and tireless, as a contemplative person has no need for or desire for 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 we were to give life and activity to the divine, it could only be self-referential contemplation that depends on nothing external. 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 naturally favors those who love intellect and act in accordance with it. Philosophy, as the pure and enduring study of wisdom, brings extraordinary joy. "Nicomachean Ethics" was previously published as a standalone volume in the "Foreign Classics of Ethics Translation Series." 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.