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Aristotle first used the term "ethics" to name a field of study developed by his predecessors Socrates and Plato. Philosophical ethics is the attempt to offer a rational response to the question of how humans should best live. Aristotle regarded ethics and politics as two related but separate fields of study, since ethics examines the good of the individual, while politics examines the good of the city-state (Greek ''polis''). Aristotle's writings have been read more or less continuously since ancient times,〔"Roman Aristotle," in ''Philosophia Togata II: Plato and Aristotle at Rome'', Oxford University Press (Oxford: 1997), pp. 1-69.〕 and his ethical treatises in particular continue to influence philosophers working today. Aristotle emphasized the importance of developing excellence (virtue) of character (Greek ''ethikē aretē''), as the way to achieve what is finally more important, excellent activity (Greek ''energeia''). As Aristotle argues in Book II of the ''Nicomachean Ethics'', the man who possesses character excellence does the right thing, at the right time, and in the right way. Bravery, and the correct regulation of one's bodily appetites, are examples of character excellence or virtue. So acting bravely and acting temperately are examples of excellent activities. The highest aims are living well and ''eudaimonia'' a Greek word often translated as well-being, happiness or "human flourishing".〔''Nicomachean Ethics'', trans. T.H. Irwin, Introduction. Hackett Publishing Company (Indianapolis: 1999) ''xv''.〕 Like many ethicists, Aristotle regards excellent activity as pleasurable for the man of virtue. For example, Aristotle thinks that the man whose appetites are in the correct order actually takes pleasure in acting moderately. Aristotle emphasized that virtue is practical, and that the purpose of ethics is to become good, not merely to know. Aristotle also claims that the right course of action depends upon the details of a particular situation, rather than being generated merely by applying a law. The type of wisdom which is required for this is called "prudence" or "practical wisdom" (Greek ''phronesis''), as opposed to the wisdom of a theoretical philosopher (Greek ''sophia''). But despite the importance of practical decision making, in the final analysis the original Aristotelian and Socratic answer to the question of how best to live, at least for the best types of human, was to live the life of philosophy. == Three ethical treatises == Three Aristotelian ethical works survive today which are considered to be either by Aristotle, or from relatively soon after: * ''Nicomachean Ethics'', abbreviated as the ''NE'' or sometimes (from the Latin version of the name) as the ''EN''. The ''NE'' is in 10 books, and is the most widely read of Aristotle's ethical treatises. * ''Eudemian Ethics'', often abbreviated as the ''EE''. * ''Magna Moralia'', often abbreviated as the ''MM''. The exact origins of these texts is unclear, although they were already considered the works of Aristotle in ancient times. Textual oddities suggest that they may not have been put in their current form by Aristotle himself. For example, Books IV-VI of ''Eudemian Ethics'' also appear as Books V-VII of ''Nicomachean Ethics''. The authenticity of the ''Magna Moralia'' has been doubted,〔But for an argument that the Magna Moralia's philosophical content (if not the language) is authentically Aristotle's, see: John M. Cooper, "The Magna Moralia and Aristotle's Moral Philosophy," in ''The American Journal of Philology'' 94.4 (Winter, 1973): pp. 327-349.〕 whereas almost no modern scholar doubts that Aristotle wrote the ''Nicomachean Ethics'' and the ''Eudemian Ethics'' himself, even if an editor also played some part in giving us those texts in their current forms. The ''Nicomachean Ethics'' has received the most scholarly attention, and is the most easily available to modern readers in many different translations and editions. Some critics consider the ''Eudemian Ethics'' to be "less mature," while others, such as Kenny (1978),〔''The Aristotelian Ethics: A Study of the Relationship between the Eudemian and Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle,'' (Oxford 1978).〕 contend that the ''Eudemian Ethics'' is the more mature, and therefore later, work. Traditionally it was believed that the ''Nicomachean Ethics'' and the ''Eudemian Ethics'' were either edited by or dedicated to Aristotle's son and pupil Nicomachus and his disciple Eudemus, respectively, although the works themselves do not explain the source of their names. Although Aristotle's father was also called Nicomachus, Aristotle's son was the next leader of Aristotle's school, the Lyceum, and in ancient times he was already associated with this work.〔Cicero mentioned him in ''De Finibus''.〕 A fourth treatise, Aristotle's ''Politics'', is often regarded as the sequel to the Ethics, in part because Aristotle closes the ''Nicomachean Ethics'' by saying that his ethical inquiry has laid the groundwork for an inquiry into political questions (''NE'' X.1181b6-23). Aristotle's Ethics also states that the good of the individual is subordinate to the good of the city-state, or ''polis''. Fragments also survive from Aristotle's ''Protrepticus'', another work which dealt with ethics. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Aristotelian ethics」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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