Aristotle(NE) Voluntary Action

A detailed Summary of Aristotle(NE) Voluntary Action

Human beings must learn over time how to be virtuous by always aiming at what is good. By habituating themselves into this thought process, virtue of character can developed. A person that has virtue of character will aim at what is good and will choose the proper activity to reach this end. To determine whether or not a person has virtue of character, we must study his voluntary actions.

Aristotle believes that a voluntary action is composed of wish, deliberation, and decision. Because all human activity aims at an end, we must first desire a plausible end to achieve; a human being can only wish for something in which he is the principle actor. As human beings, we perceive this end that we desire to be good; therefore, we must contemplate the possible activities that can be embarked upon in orde

For an activity to be considered virtuous, a person must also wish for the proper end. This would be an end that is an actual good as opposed to an end that is an apparent good. Most people mistake an apparent good for an actual good because they derive pleasure from it. This is faulty thinking though because what is perceived as pleasurable to a person is not necessarily what is good for him. Therefore, the action cannot be considered virtuous because it is not aimed at an actual good.

The last part of voluntary action is decision. This is the beginning of an action and the direct result of the wish and deliberation. Aristotle states that decision, like deliberation, is about what promotes ends and not the ends. He also says that not all wishes and deliberation result in a decision. This is

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Approximate Word count = 542
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

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Aristotle(NE) Voluntary Action

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