A discussion of the profound first paragraph presented via aristotle and an examination of philosophy and thought through this one perspective.

Am I understood here?
I also forget the first paragraph and the thoughts that produce in my mind.. when reading it.

Can somebody post the first paragraph of Aristotles Nichomeachean (spelling?!) Ethics? I will search for it.

Ah yes! Just to intice the attention of a would be want to check:
http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.html

!


Okay, so it doesn't exactly provide the paragraphs as the actual book does... let me see:

Anyway, this section is titled "1" and I assume it is "their" very first paragraph (not the actual books!)

Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim. But a certain difference is found among ends; some are activities, others are products apart from the activities that produce them. Where there are ends apart from the actions, it is the nature of the products to be better than the activities. Now, as there are many actions, arts, and sciences, their ends also are many; the end of the medical art is health, that of shipbuilding a vessel, that of strategy victory, that of economics wealth. But where such arts fall under a single capacity- as bridle-making and the other arts concerned with the equipment of horses fall under the art of riding, and this and every military action under strategy, in the same way other arts fall under yet others- in all of these the ends of the master arts are to be preferred to all the subordinate ends; for it is for the sake of the former that the latter are pursued. It makes no difference whether the activities themselves are the ends of the actions, or something else apart from the activities, as in the case of the sciences just mentioned.


The thought that produced in my mind said, this is a very fundamental even psychological explaination of (that being this part:Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim.) something.

I was wondering if we could discuss some philosophy under this vein and ask about the value of his first "paragraph". I might join in and speak because it is also a very personal matter.

I guess the question is how do you percieve the first paragraph, or am I maybe seeing more in it than I should?

[I][COLOR="DarkRed"]Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim.

Sorta' depends on the perspective for which "good" applies, don't it?

A murderer might think that it's "good" to kill someone he doesn't like, but how many of us would think that that action to be "good"?

Robbery? Theft? Rape? Terrorist acts? Wars?

See? And once again, idealism falls to the realities of the world.

I guess the question is how do you percieve the first paragraph, or am I maybe seeing more in it than I should?

You're seeing only what you want to see ....without seeing all of the bad that can be associated or interpreted in that "idealism" statement. The next time you read or hear such psycho-babble bullshit idealisms, think about all of the bad things in life and ask yourself, "Hmm, does this apply only to good things in life or all of life? And if it applies to all of life, then how does it apply to murder and rape and war and diseases and .....

Optimism is a wonderful thing .....but it's no more than blinding oneself to the shitty things in life. Pessimism is a terrible thing, because it ignores the few good things in life. One must have a bit of both or one is just a plain idealist and that's worse than anything ....including murder, rape, robbery,....

Baron Max

To aim for the highest achievements that one can concieve is a very great thing to go for. Many just want to live from day to day and to them that's their idea of achievement. I'd think if people could do more to make life better for themselves as well as others, no matter where they live, is a greater purpose and something that exemplifies themselves as ones who stood up for more than just the daily hum drum.