“The Two Types of Virtue Since the soul has two parts, virtue is also divided into two types: 1 Intellectual virtues - These involve how we think, reason, and understand. Examples: ◦ Wisdom (knowing deep truths) ◦ Understanding (grasping ideas clearly) ◦ Practical wisdom (making good decisions in life) 2 Moral virtues – These involve actions and habits. Examples: ◦ Generosity (giving freely and fairly) ◦ Self-control (resisting bad desires) ◦ Courage (facing fears wisely)” -The Nichomachean Ethics- For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg.33

“Virtue is praiseworthy because it leads to good actions. But happiness is above praise because it is the final goal—it’s what we all aim for in life. This makes happiness the most valuable and complete thing in the world. It is the reason why we do everything else, and it is what makes life truly fulfilling. Virtue Helps Us Live a Happy Life Since happiness comes from living a good life, we need to understand virtue—the qualities that make a person good. The job of a political leader is to help people become virtuous and follow good laws. That’s why great lawgivers, like those in Sparta and Crete, focused on teaching virtue. But what kind of virtue are we talking about? Since happiness is about the soul, we need to focus on virtues of the soul, not just physical abilities or talents. To understand this, we must first understand the soul itself.” - The Nichomachean Ethics- For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 31-32

“A Happy Person Stays Happy Despite Life’s Ups and Downs The best way to answer this question is to go back to what we said earlier: Happiness is about living a life of virtue. Life is unpredictable, and both good and bad things happen. Some events bring small changes, while others have a bigger impact. But a truly happy person is stable—they don’t change like a chameleon just because something good or bad happens. • Small misfortunes don’t take away happiness. • Bad luck can hurt happiness, but a good person faces challenges with strength and grace. • In tough times, a good person stays noble. They find ways to make the best of their situation. It's like how a good general uses his army wisely or how a skilled shoemaker creates great shoes from what he has. Yet, there are limits. When someone suffers greatly, like Priam, the Trojan king who lost everything in his old age, happiness might not last.” -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 30-31

“Happiness comes from living well. That’s why we don’t call animals happy—they don’t have the ability to make good or bad choices. Even young children aren’t truly happy yet because they haven’t had the chance to live wisely. When people call children happy, they usually mean they have good potential for the future. Also, happiness isn’t just about one good moment—it’s about a whole life. Even the happiest person can face great misfortunes. Take Priam, the king in Greek mythology. He lost everything in his old age. Someone who dies in misery is not truly happy. So, a good life requires: 1 Virtue – being a good and wise person. 2 A full lifetime – not just short-term success. 3 Some good fortune – while not the most important, it does help.” -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 28

“It’s better to think happiness comes from effort, not luck. The best things in life should come from wisdom, reason, and nature, not just random chance.” -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 28

“Even though happiness comes from living well, external things still matter. It’s hard to do good things without the right resources. For example: • We need money, friends, and influence to do many noble actions. • Beauty, good family, and children add to a good life, while their absence can make life harder. • If someone has extreme hardships—like being ugly, lonely, or losing loved ones—it is difficult for them to be happy.” -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Esition, pg. 28

“Think of the Olympic Games. The strongest or most beautiful athlete doesn’t win the prize—only those who compete and perform well do. In the same way, the happiest people are those who actively live with goodness and wisdom, not just those who have the potential to do so.” -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 26-27

“People have long divided ‘good things’ into three groups: • External goods – things like money, power, or good looks. • Goods of the body – health, strength, and beauty. • Goods of the soul – intelligence, wisdom, and virtue (good character). The best and most important goods are those of the soul, because they come from within us. Since happiness is about how we live and act, it must be a good of the soul, not just an external thing like wealth or power.” -The Nichomachean Ethics- For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 26

“The unique quality of humans is reason—our ability to think and make choices based on understanding. Thus, the function of a human must be living in a way that uses reason well. Humans are unique because they can reason. A good life must be one where reason is used well. This is what I call virtue. It means living wisely and making just choices. If the function of a human is to live according to reason, then the best life must be one where we use our reason in the best way possible. This means living with virtue—developing good habits and making wise choices. Happiness is about a lifetime of living well.” -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 24-25

“Humans are social creatures, and happiness includes being part of a community. However, we must set limits—if happiness depended on the well-being of every person we know, we would never be able to define it. Happiness isn’t just one good thing among others. If it were, then adding even a small extra good would make something better than happiness. But happiness is meant to be the highest and most complete good. So, it must be something that makes life fulfilling on its own.” -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 24

“The highest good must be something we choose only for itself, never as a means to something else. Happiness seems to be this final goal. • We choose to be happy for its own sake, not because it leads to something else. • We seek honor, pleasure, and wisdom. We value them not just for themselves, but also because they help us find happiness. • No one pursues happiness to get something else—it is the goal itself.” -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 23-24

“Saying that only the perfect ‘Form of the Good’ is truly good makes it meaningless. No one can really experience or achieve it. We should focus on something practical, something that people can actually reach in their lives. Some argue that knowing about ‘The Good’ helps in daily life, like a blueprint helps a builder. But in reality, most people don’t need this kind of abstract knowledge. We shouldn't chase an impossible idea of perfection. Instead, let's focus on the good that people can really achieve.” -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 22-23

“Each subject focuses on its own type of good. Medicine looks at health. Military strategy focuses on victory. Ethics examines virtue. If ‘goodness’ meant the same thing in every case, then doctors and generals would study the same subject—which they don’t. This is why a single ‘Good’ for everything doesn’t make sense.” -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 22

“Do Philosophers Agree on What Is Good? Some philosophers think there is one universal ‘Form of the Good.’ This perfect idea makes everything else good. We should question this idea, even if it comes from respected thinkers like our teachers. As lovers of wisdom, we must value truth more than the opinions of even the most respected people.” -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 21

“To understand ethics and politics, we must begin with what people already know. That’s why a good upbringing is crucial. If someone is raised with good habits, they already have a sense of right and wrong, even if they can’t fully explain it. Studying ethics helps these people understand more. But if someone wasn’t raised well, no amount of teaching will make them truly grasp goodness. As the poet Hesiod wrote: ‘The best person understands on their own. The second-best listens to wise advice. The worst person neither learns nor listens.’ “ -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg 20-21

“So, which field of study helps us understand this highest goal? It must be the most important subject, the one that organizes everything else. That subject is politics. Politics determines how society should be structured. It decides: • What subjects people should learn. • Which skills are valuable. • What rules should be followed. Politics includes key areas like military strategy, economics, and public speaking. Because it shapes every aspect of life, its goal must be the greatest good for humanity. Even if the greatest good is the same for an individual and for a whole society, achieving it at a national level is more important. Helping one person live a good life is valuable, but improving life for an entire society has a greater impact. That’s why politics is such an essential study—it’s about making life better for everyone. But determining what is truly good is not like solving a simple equation. Ethics requires wisdom, and wisdom comes from experience. Just as we must train our bodies for strength, we must train our minds for virtue.” -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 17-18

“What Is a ‘Good Life’? Some people think happiness comes from having fun, making money, or becoming famous. Aristotle argued that real happiness is more than just feeling pleasure. It comes from living with purpose. It’s about making good choices and being a good person. He taught that if you want to be happy, you should: • Think carefully before making decisions. • Find balance—not too much, not too little. • Be kind, brave, and fair. • Practice good habits every day. Happiness, according to Aristotle, is not just a feeling. It’s a way of living.” -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg14

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