Book 1 / Chapter 2
Paragraph 1 - The Chief Good and Its Relation to Political Science
Explanation - Part By Part
"If, then, there is some end of the things we do, which we desire for its own sake (everything else being desired for the sake of this), and if we do not choose everything for the sake of something else (for at that rate the process would go on to infinity, so that our desire would be empty and vain), clearly this must be the good and the chief good."
Aristotle is presenting the idea that everything we do has a purpose or goal, but these goals don’t just lead endlessly to other goals. Instead, there must be a final goal—something we aim for simply because it is valuable in itself, not for the sake of achieving anything else. This ultimate goal or purpose is what Aristotle calls "the chief good." Without such a final goal, every choice or action would just keep pointing to another purpose forever, leaving us in an endless loop with no real fulfillment or meaning. This "chief good" is what gives our actions and desires ultimate clarity and purpose.
"Will not the knowledge of it, then, have a great influence on life? Shall we not, like archers who have a mark to aim at, be more likely to hit upon what is right?"
Aristotle is saying that if we can identify the ultimate goal or purpose (the "chief good") that all our actions aim toward, this knowledge would have a profound impact on how we live our lives. Just as an archer has a target to focus on, knowing our ultimate aim helps guide our choices and efforts, making it more likely that we will act correctly and achieve what is truly worthwhile. Without such a target, our actions might lack direction or purpose.
"If so, we must try, in outline at least, to determine what it is, and of which of the sciences or capacities it is the object."
Aristotle is saying that if we agree there is a highest good—something we ultimately aim for in life—it’s worth trying to figure out what that is, even if only in broad terms (in outline at least). He also suggests that we need to consider which field of knowledge (science here implies a structured domain of knowledge) or skill is concerned with this ultimate goal, as understanding its nature and hierarchy can help us better direct our efforts. Essentially, he is setting the stage to explore what the highest purpose or objective of human life is and which discipline best helps us access or define it. This is the start of his argument that politics, or the "art of governing," holds a central role in shaping the good for individuals and society.
"It would seem to belong to the most authoritative art and that which is most truly the master art."
Aristotle is arguing that the pursuit of the ultimate "chief good"—the thing we desire for its own sake—belongs to the most important, overarching discipline or "master art." This is because such a master art would organize everything else beneath it. In other words, the responsibility of understanding this ultimate goal, and ensuring that life or society is structured to achieve it, can only belong to the highest form of knowledge or practice. It's what everything else is ultimately working toward or in service of.
This master art, Aristotle later identifies, is politics—not in the narrow sense of government alone but in the broader sense of organizing and guiding a society to aim for a collective good.
"And politics appears to be of this nature; for it is this that ordains which of the sciences should be studied in a state, and which each class of citizens should learn and up to what point they should learn them; and we see even the most highly esteemed of capacities to fall under this, e.g. strategy, economics, rhetoric;"
Aristotle is saying that politics, as a discipline or "master art," has the responsibility of determining which forms of knowledge or sciences are necessary for a society. It decides what should be taught, who should learn it (based on different roles or classes within society), and to what extent they should learn it. Politics oversees and governs even highly respected fields like military strategy (how to win wars), economics (how to manage resources), and rhetoric (the art of persuasion). In other words, these disciplines are viewed as subordinate to politics because their purpose and use are dictated by the overall needs and goals of the society, which politics aims to guide.
"now, since politics uses the rest of the sciences, and since, again, it legislates as to what we are to do and what we are to abstain from, the end of this science must include those of the others, so that this end must be the good for man."
Aristotle is saying that politics, as a discipline, is unique because it makes use of all other sciences and governs decisions about what actions people should take or avoid. Since it has authority over the other sciences and shapes what is best for human life as a whole, the ultimate goal of politics must encompass the goals of all other sciences and activities. This ultimate goal, he argues, is the highest good for humanity—the thing toward which all other pursuits ultimately strive. Essentially, politics isn’t just about laws or governance; it’s about organizing society in a way that leads to the best possible life for human beings.
"For even if the end is the same for a single man and for a state, that of the state seems at all events something greater and more complete whether to attain or to preserve; though it is worth while to attain the end merely for one man, it is finer and more godlike to attain it for a nation or for city-states."
Aristotle is explaining that even though an individual's ultimate goal (or "end") in life might be the same as the ultimate goal of a state, the pursuit of that goal on a larger scale – for a whole community, nation, or city-state – is greater and more significant. Why? Because achieving the "good" for an entire society not only impacts many more people but also feels more worthy and grand, even almost divine in nature. Improving one person's life is valuable, but improving the lives of an entire group or nation has a broader, more profound impact on humanity.
"These, then, are the ends at which our inquiry aims, since it is political science, in one sense of that term."
Aristotle concludes here that the overall purpose of his exploration is tied to political science—but not just any narrow understanding of politics. For him, political science is the most overarching and authoritative discipline because it’s concerned with the ultimate goals or "ends" for human life and society. This science doesn't merely deal with laws or governance, but rather it focuses on understanding what the highest good is for human beings as individuals and as a collective.
In other words, he views politics not simply as governing or administration, but as the study of how to structure society and human behavior in a way that leads to the greatest fulfillment or well-being for all. If we can define and pursue this ultimate "chief good," everyone benefits—on both an individual level and a much grander, societal scale.