Essay on Book VII of the Nichomachean Ethics by Aristotle

Book VII of the Nichomachean Ethics by Aristotle Introduction In book seven of the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle sets out his theory of akrasia, or weakness of will. Aristotle attempts to explain both how such actions are possible (contra Socrates), and how we can dissolve the puzzles (aporiai) generated by our most important (kurios) commonly held beliefs, which arise in response to the actions of the incontinent person. This paper will review book VII of the Nichomachean Ethics (EN), and attempt to resolve some of the remaining questions left open by Aristotle’s critique. According to Aristotle, ethika is not an exact (akribes) science, for it only provides â€Å"usual† truths (hos epi to polu), or those that are†¦show more content†¦Incontinence, basically, is when a person knows (or perhaps merely believes) that he or she ought to do x, since x is the decision formed from a rational desire for some good end, but instead does y. For example, consider a case in which one believes that eating a healthy meal is desirable and good as an end in itself, resulting in the decision that to partake of the healthy meal in front of oneself is the best way to achieve that end. However, imagine that right next to the healthy meal is a large plate of various sweets and chocolates, the eating of which appeals only to one’s appetite or nonrational desires. According to Aristotle, the continent man will have the nonrational desire to eat the plate of sweets, but will resist it and instead proceed to eat the healthy meal. The incon tinent man, however, will relinquish his decision and succumb to his nonrational desire to indulge himself (1145b9-14). The Puzzles of Incontinence As alluded to earlier, one aim of Aristotle’s dialectical method of inquiry was to resolve certain puzzles that arise from conjoining the common majority’s beliefs with that of careful reflection, in the hopes of revealing the truth of the most important of the most common beliefs (1145b6). He states that â€Å"we must prove the common beliefs about these ways of being affected†¦ For ifShow MoreRelatedNichomachean Ethics’ Book Was Written By Aristotle Between1145 Words   |  5 Pages Nichomachean ethics’ book was written by Aristotle between the periods of 384 BC to the time when he passed away in 322 BC. Aristotle is an ancient Greek philosopher. During his period of writing, not many things had been discovered and the only other known philosophers were the Plato and Socrates. 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