Commentary on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

Commentary on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics (Thomas Aquinas)

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Aristotle by himself is a difficult read. Aquinas by himself is a difficult read. Put the two together, though, and you get a surprisingly accessible way of accessing both philosophers, made more accessible by Aquinas' organized way of thinking.

I read this book over a decade ago. When Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics was assigned for the Online Great Books reading group, I decided that a reread was a good way to approach the assignment.

The Nicomachean Ethics is more than a seminal work for medieval philosophy. The Ethics is a powerful guidebook for life. If you have picked up a philosophy book looking for wisdom and truth - and been disappointed by the modern variants - this book is the real deal.

Aristotle was a pragmatic philosophy. His insights are based on his observations about how people live their lives yoked to a curious mind. Aristotle starts with the basic question about the goal of human life. All things for Aristotle (and Thomas) are known from their causes, one of which is the final cause. For Aristotle, the final cause of human life was “happiness,” but his idea of happiness was not a warm feeling. Instead, happiness was an activity, namely a well-lived human life, a flourishing human life.

In order for a human life to flourish, the human had to exercise those excellences - virtues - that make for a flourishing human life. These virtues allow the human to subjugate the body to reason, including prudence, courage, justice, fortitude, and a host of minor - and often surprising - virtues such as liberality. The virtues are often understood to be the mean between the extreme vices of excess and deficiency. Virtue is the habit of choosing the virtuous mean. Virtue becomes a habit, which becomes a nature.

What I found most important about Aristotle is that he gives us a vocabulary to talk about human existence. He also provides a methodology for unraveling the conundrums of life. Do you have difficulty in making decisions? Then, decide whether you tend to be hesitant or rambunctious. Then, employ the “Costanza method” and pick the option that is most unlike your normal choice. You will have a greater chance of hitting the mark

As I said, Aristotle is very pragmatic.

There is a moral philosophical theory in the Ethics that makes working your way through the Commentary and/or the Ethics worthwhile. These texts provide a subtle way of thinking about choices. Aristotle's pragmatic, empirical approach provides a better description of human psychology than most modern schools of psychology. A person looking for insights into practical questions could do worse.

Aristotle is often hard to unpack. Aquinas has a singular ability to simplify and schematize Aristotle. Aristotle's Ethics form a substantial part of Aquinas's Summa Theologica. Reading the Commentary allows a student of Aquinas to look under the hood and see how Aquinas became so knowledgeable about the various topics he wrote on.