VIII
We must consider it, however, in the light not only of our conclusion
and our premisses, but also of what is commonly said about it; for
with a true view all the data harmonize, but with a false one the
facts soon clash. Now goods have been divided into three classes,
and some are described as external, others as relating to soul or
to body; we call those that relate to soul most properly and truly
goods, and psychical actions and activities we class as relating to
soul. Therefore our account must be sound, at least according to this
view, which is an old one and agreed on by philosophers. It is correct
also in that we identify the end with certain actions and activities;
for thus it falls among goods of the soul and not among external goods.
Another belief which harmonizes with our account is that the happy
man lives well and does well; for we have practically defined happiness
as a sort of good life and good action. The characteristics that are
looked for in happiness seem also, all of them, to belong to what
we have defined happiness as being. For some identify happiness with
virtue, some with practical wisdom, others with a kind of philosophic
wisdom, others with these, or one of these, accompanied by pleasure
or not without pleasure; while others include also external prosperity.
Now some of these views have been held by many men and men of old,
others by a few eminent persons; and it is not probable that either
of these should be entirely mistaken, but rather that they should
be right in at least some one respect or even in most respects.
With those who identify happiness with virtue or some one virtue our
account is in harmony; for to virtue belongs virtuous activity. But
it makes, perhaps, no small difference whether we place the chief
good in possession or in use, in state of mind or in activity. For
the state of mind may exist without producing any good result, as
in a man who is asleep or in some other way quite inactive, but the
activity cannot; for one who has the activity will of necessity be
acting, and acting well. And as in the Olympic Games it is not the
most beautiful and the strongest that are crowned but those who compete
(for it is some of these that are victorious), so those who act win,
and rightly win, the noble and good things in life.
Their life is also in itself pleasant. For pleasure is a state of
soul, and to each man that which he is said to be a lover of is pleasant;
e.g. not only is a horse pleasant to the lover of horses, and a spectacle
to the lover of sights, but also in the same way just acts are pleasant
to the lover of justice and in general virtuous acts to the lover
of virtue. Now for most men their pleasures are in conflict with one
another because these are not by nature pleasant, but the lovers of
what is noble find pleasant the things that are by nature pleasant;
and virtuous actions are such, so that these are pleasant for such
men as well as in their own nature. Their life, therefore, has no
further need of pleasure as a sort of adventitious charm, but has
its pleasure in itself. For, besides what we have said, the man who
does not rejoice in noble actions is not even good; since no one would
call a man just who did not enjoy acting justly, nor any man liberal
who did not enjoy liberal actions; and similarly in all other cases.
If this is so, virtuous actions must be in themselves pleasant. But
they are also good and noble, and have each of these attributes in
the highest degree, since the good man judges well about these attributes;
his judgement is such as we have described. Happiness then is the
best, noblest, and most pleasant thing in the world, and these attributes
are not severed as in the inscription at Delos-
Most noble is that which is justest, and best is health;
But pleasantest is it to win what we love.
For all these properties belong to the best activities; and these,
or one- the best- of these, we identify with happiness.
Yet evidently, as we said, it needs the external goods as well; for
it is impossible, or not easy, to do noble acts without the proper
equipment. In many actions we use friends and riches and political
power as instruments; and there are some things the lack of which
takes the lustre from happiness, as good birth, goodly children, beauty;
for the man who is very ugly in appearance or ill-born or solitary
and childless is not very likely to be happy, and perhaps a man would
be still less likely if he had thoroughly bad children or friends
or had lost good children or friends by death. As we said, then, happiness
seems to need this sort of prosperity in addition; for which reason
some identify happiness with good fortune, though others identify
it with virtue.
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