Aristotle’s virtue ethics can be gleaned from his seminal work titled Nichomachean

Ethics. This book is undoubtedly the first systematic study of ethics in western civilization. In
this book, Aristotle offers principles of conduct that would guide humans in attaining the “good
life”.

It is worthwhile to begin in our discussion about Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics by contrasting

As we all know Plato following his master Socrates believed that the moral evaluation of
daily life presuppose a: GOOD LIFE, EXPERIENCE, PERSONALITY and
CIRCUMSTANCES.

Aristotle rejected this view, for Aristotle Moral Principles are immanent in our daily
activities and can be discovered only through a careful study of them. It is for this reason that
Aristotle begins his ethical inquiry with an empirical study of what it is that people
fundamentally desire.

Aristotle argues that what people fundamentally desire is HAPPINESS or

Now if we recall the central question for Plato and Socrates’s ethics is what kind of life
should one live? Aristotle followed this line of questioning in his nicomachean ethics. As we can
see just as Plato and Socrates, Aristotle was also concerned about the good life however instead
of asking about how should one live, Aristotle was more concerned about the nature of the good
life thus Aristotle in effect asked the question; what is the nature of happiness? or what does
happiness consist in?

It must be noted that Aristotle did not just ask about the nature of happiness. In
nicomachean ethics he also raised the question concerning the conditions of its attainment which
eventually led Aristotle the discussion of VIRTUE. Aristotle virtue ethics therefore is ultimately
tied to a full understanding of the nature of happiness as humanity's ultimate goal as well as the
concept of virtue.

As a virtue theorist, Aristotle's concern therefore is not only about right and wrong but
with virtues like: COURAGE and COWARDICE, WISDOM and IGNORANCE, JUSTICE and
INJUSTICE, WEAKNESS OF CHARACTER or STRENGTH OF CHARACTER.
From this discussion we can now draw the 2 major principles that will guide us in
understanding Aristotle's virtue ethics namely 1. Eudaimonia and 2. Virtue. So, let us now turn
our discussion to these concepts. Take note that the following discussion will focus on 1. how
Aristotle develops a concept of eudaimonia that appeals to a conception of human nature. 2. the
way in which Aristotle develops an account of virtue that show the idea that THE LIFE OF
VIRTUE is a LIFE OF EUDAIMONIA.
 As we all know Socrates understands virtue as the major source of happiness, Plato
continued this tradition and argued that moral virtue is vital to the "rational soul of man"
although Aristotle followed Socrates and Plato’s agenda his concept of happiness differs from
Socrates and Plato’s because for Aristotle happiness consists only in "Virtuous Activity".
Happiness which most of Aristotle’s interpreters call eudaimonia is the ultimate end of human
life.
This HAPPINESS or THE ULTIMATE is genuinely decide for its own sake or without
qualification. So, ACTION which precede this end are the most valuable and cannot be
superseded by any actions driven by ordinary kind of ends. Of course, ACTIONS which result in
HONOR, WEALTH and POWER is definitely part of man’s inclination to seek for HAPPINESS
(as “pleasure”) but unfortunately, this could not be the end which offers TRUE HAPPINESS.
Like Eudaimonia, pleasure is also good. That is why Aristotle does not condemn man for
desiring "pleasure" because it is a significant part of human flourishing. But for Aristotle, the
desire and actions that lead to pleasure only presuppose limited value since its END is
TEMPORARY hence the satisfaction that one gets from these actions cannot be truly called
HAPPINESS. For Aristotle these actions which only lead humans into the pit of the two
opposing VICES (either EXCESS or DEFICIENCY) drive them away from the ultimate end
hence for Aristotle "only virtuous acts can lead to true HAPPINESS".
Virtue is defined as a behavior showing high moral standards or the general quality of
goodness in a person. An example of this is the virtue of patience or truthfulness. Following
Aristotle, the Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2nd Edition defines Virtue as the opposite of Vice.
Vice in this context should not be literally understood with the specific context of social vices
such as: Drug Addiction, Gambling and Excessing Cigarette Smoking rather according to
Aristotle, Vices are the 2 extremes of the spectrum. 1. EXCESS, 2. DEFICIENCY.
It is for this reason that Aristotle claims that “virtuous are the mean or the middle ground
between the excess at the one side and the deficiency at the other”. For instance: if a moral agent
maintains PATIENCE or GOOD TEMPER (“MEAN”) and rejects IRASCIBILITY
(“EXCESS”) or LACK OF SPIRIT (“DEFICIENCY”) then he said to have a possessed
“VIRTUE”. Thus, for Aristotle, Virtues categorically serve as the essential elements of man’s
moral behavior. As we can see the central concept in Aristotle’s virtue ethics is that: Virtue or
“the Mean” is the key to happiness”.
Here’s the table that will help us understand the relation between VIRTUE and VICES in
the Aristotelian sense.
 Virtue as "GOOD HABIT" the formation of a moral virtue is essential to
ARISTOTELIAN ETHICS this is due to the fact that a MORAL AGENT can only attain
HAPPINESS by being consistently living a good life or acting habitually in accordance with the
good. Thus A GOOD HABIT is instrumental to the development of VIRTUE because it is
considered to be the consistent pattern for doing virtuous actions. Aristotle writes "we are
adapted by nature to receive these virtues and are made perfect by habit"
In this sense though VIRTUE is already part of our natural inclination, human being still
needs the habit of doing good for him to become VIRTUOUS. What we must do then is to
constantly "practice doing virtuous acts to develop a habit". For instance, we acquire THE
VIRTUE OF PATIENCE by: 1. repeatedly integrating it into our deliberate actions or 2. by
being constantly patient. In similar way we can obtain THE VIRTUE OF COURAGE by:
maintaining it within the purview of the mean while avoiding rashness and cowardice.
Therefore, our actions can only be morally GOOD and RIGHT if there is a: HABITUAL
PRACTICE OF VIRTUES. This is to say that to eventually maintain these moral actions which
lead us to attain authentic happiness is the formation of GOOD HABITS is a REQUISITE. The
formation of virtue or good habit has 2 stages. First the habit of contemplation or the education
of thought for the formation of intellectual virtue. Second is the habit of the actual practice of
moral virtue.
THE HABIT OF CONTEMPLATION is a matter of constantly acquiring knowledge and
using one's mind in the right way that leads to the habitual exercise of virtue through THE
HABIT OF EDUCATION OF THOUGHT the state of character is constituted by the stable
equilibrium of the soul. This is to say that THE STATE OF CHARACTER which shapes
MORAL VIRTUE primarily requires proper mental activity aside from the actual performance
of moral action. In other words before we can actually practice virtue: we have to think about
practicing virtue all the time.
On the other hand, THE HABITUAL ACTUAL PRACTICE OF VIRTUE presupposes
that every human being has brought out the contemplated understanding of virtue into actions. In
other words, we put into practice what the mind thinks. In addition, the putting into practice of
this understanding should be done CONSISTENTLY so that it would lead to the formation of
good habit. True enough VIRTUE is defined as a behavior showing high moral standards or a
good moral quality or the general quality of goodness in a person. But for Aristotle we should
push this further by developing a habit of: DOING GOOD ALL THE TIME.
In summary we can say that ARISTOTLE'S virtue ethics is built around the premise that
humans should aim to achieve excellent character. In other words, for Aristotle humans should
become ethical individual. And Aristotle construes ETHICAL INDIVIDUAL as having virtuous
character (ethikē aretē" in Greek). For Aristotle AN EXCELLENT CHARACTER is the
precondition for attaining HAPPINESS or EUDAIMONIA which has already mentioned is the
ultimate goal of Aristotle's virtue ethics.
And by focusing on "HAPPINESS" or "EUDAIMONIA" the SHAPE OF LIFE as a
whole becomes central to his ethical theory. This explains why as already pointed out in this
discussion the key question in Aristotle's virtue ethics is: What sort of life human beings should
live? Thus, the final analysis PRACTICAL VIRTUES are the characteristics that humans need to
develop to attain HAPPINESS. However, this practical virtue must be displayed in action for
humans to truly attain HAPPINESS.