Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics Analysis
The main idea behind Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics revolves around the form of happiness: happiness is the exercise of virtue, it is the drive for action, and it is the destination of purpose. In other words, happiness is final and self-sufficient. Being able to achieve happiness is rare, and not many people can obtain it because they have not mastered virtue. The great-souled man, however, has mastered virtue and is, therefore, considered the best kind of person. He is one who has surpassed the visible realm and has mastered the intelligible one. Considering the image of the cave from the Republic, the great-souled man lies in the highest part of the intelligible realm – he is the prisoner who has already escaped, left the cave, and understands the workings of the real world – the forms. The cave as a whole reflects mastery of knowledge and virtue. That is, every individual could be put in a specific place in the cave according to his knowledge. An ignorant being would be considered inside the cave, only grasping the visible realm of thinking. A person who uses reasoning and seeks to understand would be considered leaving the cave, and a person who masters knowledge and virtue is outside of the cave. The person who is outside the cave is able to fully understand the way the world works. He is accustomed to the forms.
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The great-souled man is ultimately described as one who believes, and is, worthy of great things. He is the means of two extremes: the pusillanimous man and the vain man. This man is one who has a moderate attitude to worldly things like honor and riches. He is one who is not cowardly or unjust, and so he is good in its greatest extent (Ethics 1124a25). He understands life beyond the money, clothes, and fame and thus he understands the highest form: the good. He, according to Aristotle, is the best kind of man because of
The great-souled man is ultimately described as one who believes, and is, worthy of great things. He is the means of two extremes: the pusillanimous man and the vain man. This man is one who has a moderate attitude to worldly things like honor and riches. He is one who is not cowardly or unjust, and so he is good in its greatest extent (Ethics 1124a25). He understands life beyond the money, clothes, and fame and thus he understands the highest form: the good. He, according to Aristotle, is the best kind of man because of