Nicomachean Ethics

Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle (c. 340 BC)

Aristotle's investigation into the nature of the good life. What is happiness? What is virtue? How should we live? The foundational text of Western ethical philosophy, still studied in every philosophy department on Earth.

Historical Significance:
Named for Aristotle's son Nicomachus, the Ethics was likely compiled from Aristotle's lecture notes at the Lyceum in Athens around 340 BC. Aristotle's central concept — eudaimonia, often translated as "happiness" but better understood as "human flourishing" — remains the basis of virtue ethics. His idea that virtue is a "golden mean" between extremes (courage is the mean between cowardice and recklessness) has influenced moral philosophy for 2,300 years. Thomas Aquinas built Catholic moral theology on Aristotle's framework. The Ethics remains the most widely assigned philosophy text in universities worldwide.

This public domain classic was originally composed c. 340 BC. Free to read and share.