Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics

PHIL 21720/31720 Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics

Crosslistings
FNDL 21908

This course is a study of the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle's most widely read philosophical treatise on the best life for human beings. In it he offers enduringly relevant answers to question such as: What is happiness? How can studying ethics promote happiness? What is the relationship between being happy and being morally good? What features are characteristic of the morally good person? What role does friendship play in the happy life? What about goods like honor, health, pleasure, and money? To what extent do we have control over our actions, character, and happiness? What level of intellectual activity is required for happiness? To what extent can one engage in such activity without being morally good? (A) (IV)

Prerequisites

Undergraduates who are not Philosophy majors or Fundamentals majors should seek instructor permission to enroll.