| The Nicomachean Ethics is the most representative one in all of Aristotle's works. With its well-knit in structure, full doctrine, the Nicomachean Ethics established Aristotle's status as the founder of Western ethics. The ideology of ethics built by Aristotle himself starts from questioning the happiness and ends with contemplating the happiness. Many scholars try to interpret the happiness, beginning with the Nicomachean Ethics. And, bookX has became a debating point. It is generally believed that book X is very difficult to understand, and it is because of this part that people have different views on the happiness.Beginning with the Nicomachean Ethics book X, the thesis tries to understand the deeper desire to Aristotle's moral thought centered on the desire to happiness.The introduction mainly interprets the thought origins and the theoretical basis that Aristotle's ethics is formed; gives the ethics a place of prominence; points to the importance of the ethics; sets forth the reason for choosing the ethics as a topic and its great significance.Chapter 1 detailed analyzes the structure of bookX, marshals the idea of pleasure and happiness put forth by Aristotle, and points out the relationship between the pleasure and happiness which is connected by realistic activities; analyzes how can the writer lead human-beings'happiness from virtue to contemplation. Finally, end the chapter with legislation and politics referred initially.Chapter 2 explains the two best lifestyles disserted by Aristotle. Firstly, distinguish two different virtue:the ethics and the intellect, and discuss their unity and tension. Then, discuss the two lifestyles on this basis, analyze the tension between two lifestyles and accompany with examples to show their tension, analyze the causes that the contradiction of the truth and opinion, the rational and perceptual, that cause the tension. And finally, pose the question that caused by such tension.Chapter 3 tries to relax the tension between two lifestyles. To solve this problem, it should, focusing on philosophers, using their lifestyle as starting point, explain how can philosophers help people to form a noble personality and a complete city by using the examples of the metaphor of the cave and the philosopher-king. Furthermore, define the position of philosophers based on three fundamental perspectives:contemplation, education, legislation, which left great influence on the following.The conclusion part briefly discusses and summarizes the relationship between the ethics and the politics, hence, turns to the discussion of Aristotle's politics. By analyzing deeply we know that, when writing the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle separated the best lifestyle into two doctrines, facing different readers. The purpose of Aristotle is that, everyone can be a cultivated man and different people can live a different life with happiness, so that the foundation of the city's happiness can be formed. Only if there are people of good ethics education, is there a strong and prosperous city. That's also the reason why Aristotle begins the politics with the ethics. |
