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In Nicomachea n Ethics, Aristotle discusses what the greatest good could be. He begins by saying, Every craft and every investigation, and likewise every action and decision, seems to be aimed at some good. This means that Aristotle thinks that everyones actions in life are directed at something greater, something that they are striving for. I believe this to be true because it seems in life that everything you do, you are aiming for something else.
With every decision and action that a person makes, they try to gain a greater self worth and prosperity. The true meaning that Aristotle hints upon is to achieve greatness and to be the best person that lies in your grasp. Aristotle believes that all good is subordinate to some point. For instance, the end, or good of a student would be the degree; with an inventor it would be the invention. This means that different people have different ideas about what the greatest good is. Some examples that Aristotle gives as to what he thinks people to see as the greatest good, or end, are wealth, pleasure, honor, virtue, and health.
The most vulgar, which are also what many people see as the greatest good, is wealth. The problem is that wealth does not necessarily last forever. It may never be bestowed upon people who work their whole life, yet may be gained by others why never thought of achieving it. Today, the saying goes money is the root of all evil. This is true in some respects because money has destroyed countless friendships and lives. An example would be people who have had money their entire lives.
Wealthy individuals probably think that money is not the greatest good because they are used to be able to have everything that they could want and will never be satisfied with anything because they will always want more. Another example Aristotle goes into is health. This is quite similar to wealth because when one is sick, they wish that they were in good health. This is only true because they are tired of being sick, and it isnt necessarily what they think the ultimate good is. Once you lose a certain status, permanently or maybe even temperately, you realize how good your life was before your misfortune. Aristotle also gives honor as an example as the greatest good.
He says those active (in politics), conceive the good to be honor, since this is more or less the end (normally pursued) in political life. He argues this as saying that this kind of honor focuses too much on those who honor rather than the one that is being honored. Also, not everyone is into politics and so therefore not everyone is going to find this as the greatest good. Another vulgar example of the greatest good that Aristotle points out is pleasure of gratification. Aristotle stated that this is a very selfish thing to want and says it is a life for grazing animals. He means that a life centered around finding pleasure or self-gratification cannot be the ultimate good because animals find this type of life suitable.
It is also something that one does not have to works hard for or can truly appreciate. Virtue would seem to many the greatest good because a virtuous life is one that we have been taught that God wants for us. To be virtuous, like God, requires one to be good at all times and to never do any wrong. Aristotle's argument is that someone might possess virtue but be asleep or inactive throughout his life; or, further, he might suffer the worst evil and misfortunes: and if this is the sort of life he leads, no one would count him happy.
I believe that the ultimate good is happiness because when a person is happy, they dont need anything else. It is a feeling of being complete and fulfilled. The feeling of being completely happy is the ultimate good, the end, because it gives you the feeling of not needing anything else in life. Put aside all earthly materials and they only thing everyone desires is happiness. Happiness is truly the greatest good in life. It is the end.
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Research essay sample on Greatest Good Ultimate Good Life
