THE NICOMACHEAN ETHICS (Thomas Taylor)

Excerto da Introdução de Thomas Taylor, THE RHETORIC, POETIC, AND NICOMACHEAN ETHICS OF ARISTOTLE

With respect to the third of these treatises, the Nicomachean Ethics, it is necessary to observe, that the subject of ethics, or moral philosophy, is moral entity, (viz. things which have a relation to moral actions) and moral actions themselves, and that it teaches the mode of living worthily. But moral actions are those through which a man becomes good or bad, that is, through which he becomes adapted or unadapted to obtain beatitude, which is the ultimate end of man. And to live worthily, is to live in a manner adapted to the attainment of the ultimate end, or beatitude.

In the first place, therefore, moral philosophy considers man with reference to himself, not physically but ethically, that is, so far as he is capable of being worthy or depraved, and can be well or ill disposed with relation to beatitude. In the second place, it considers the energies of man, not only his internal, but also his external energies, so far as they are capable of being good or bad. And in the third place it considers the objects of these energies, so far as they can be worthy or depraved.

Because, likewise, moral philosophy demonstrates many conclusions concerning moral entity, on this account it is a demonstrative science. And because again, it not only considers practical truths about moral entity, that is, those truths which contribute to action, but likewise many speculative truths, the knowledge of which does not contribute to action but to science, hence it is partly practical and partly speculative, though it is more the former than the latter, because moral entity is more principally considered on account of action, than on account of science.

Though moral philosophy, however, is a practical science, yet it is not properly either prudence or art. It is not art, because art is a habit effective in conjunction with true reason, about those things which contribute to particular ends. Thus, statuary is a habit producing a statue in conjunction with true reason, that is, with infallible precepts. And poetry is a habit producing a poem with true reason; while at the same time neither a poem nor a statue is the ultimate end of man, but each is only a particular end. But moral philosophy is a habit practical in conjunction with true reason, about those things which contribute to the ultimate end of man. It likewise delivers the true method, and infallible precepts of regulating the whole of our life, and all our actions, so as that we may obtain beatitude. Again, moral philosophy differs from prudence, because prudence is a habit determining what this man should do, and what is now to be done, in order to the attainment of the ultimate end; but moral philosophy alone determines universally, what is to be done in order to obtain this end, and not what this man should do, and what should now be done.

Hence, we infer that moral philosophy is the science of living worthily, or that it is a science defining the ultimate end of man, and teaching universally the mode by which a man ought to regulate the whole of his life, and all his actions in order to the attainment of such an end.

Of moral philosophy, likewise, there are three parts, one which considers man with reference to himself, another which considers him as connected with a family, and a third which considers him as a member of the community. For man is naturally not a solitary, but a social animal; because since one man is not sufficient to himself for the purposes of living, and of living well, but requires the assistance of other men, every man is naturally a part of a certain multitude, and ought to live in the society of other men. But the society to which all other associations may be reduced is twofold, the one imperfect and insufficient, which is the society of those who live in one house and family ; the other perfect, and sufficient to itself, which is the society of those who live in a city or kingdom. To a perfect city, however, it is necessary that it should contain every thing requisite to the purposes of living and of living well. And as the end of every man is the felicity of that man, so the end of a family, is the felicity of the family, and of a city, the felicity of the city.

Hence, because moral philosophy is a science disposing a man to the ultimate end, it ought not only to dispose every individual of the human species to the attainment of this end, but likewise a family, and a city- or kingdom. That part of moral philosophy, therefore, which teaches how the actions of every man, considered with reference to himself, are to be regulated in order to his attainment of beatitude, is delivered by Aristotle in the ten books of the Nicomachean Ethics; and also in the two books entitled the Great Ethics; and in the seven books of Ethics to Eudemus. That part which teaches how the actions of a whole family are to be regulated, in order to the attainment of the ultimate end, is called economic, and is delivered by Aristotle in his two books of Economics. And that part which teaches how the actions of a whole city and kingdom are to be regulated in order to obtain felicity, is called politic, and is delivered by Aristotle in the eight books of his Politics. Because, likewise, it is more divine to procure the good of a whole city or nation, than of a man, or one fahiily; hence, the political part of moral philosophy is more excellent and divine than the economical part, or than” the part which relates to man considered with reference to himself.

I shall only observe farther, that the Nicomachean Ethics are so inscribed, because they were written by Aristotle to his son Nicomachus; that the reader will derive great advantage by occasionally consulting the translation of the Paraphrase of an anonymous Greek writer on these ethics, by Mr. Bridgman, as this translation is at once perspicuous, accurate, and elegant; and that Aristotle, in his moral treatises, has delivered a system of ethics in all its parts scientific and perfect.