Book 10 / Chapter 4
Paragraph 5 - The Interrelation of Life, Pleasure, and Activity
Explanation - Part By Part
"One might think that all men desire pleasure because they all aim at life; life is an activity, and each man is active about those things and with those faculties that he loves most; e.g. the musician is active with his hearing in reference to tunes, the student with his mind in reference to theoretical questions, and so on in each case; now pleasure completes the activities, and therefore life, which they desire."
Aristotle is saying that it makes sense to think that everyone desires pleasure because everyone strives for life—and life itself is essentially about being active. Each person naturally focuses their activity on what they love most, using their specific talents or abilities. For instance, a musician engages deeply with sound and music through their sense of hearing, while a student uses their intellect to explore ideas and questions. In all cases, pleasure enhances or "completes" these activities, making the experience of life itself more fulfilling. In this way, pleasure and life are closely linked because pleasure perfects and brings added meaning to the activities that define a person's life.
"It is with good reason, then, that they aim at pleasure too, since for every one it completes life, which is desirable."
Aristotle is making the argument here that seeking pleasure is natural and logical because it enriches and enhances life, which is something inherently desirable to all people. Pleasure acts as a kind of "completion" to life, complementing and fulfilling it in a meaningful way. Since life without pleasure would feel incomplete, it makes sense that people are drawn to it.
"But whether we choose life for the sake of pleasure or pleasure for the sake of life is a question we may dismiss for the present."
Aristotle is suggesting that it’s not immediately important to figure out whether we live in order to seek pleasure or whether we seek pleasure to enhance life. He acknowledges that this question is complex and perhaps unnecessary to answer right now. His main point is that life and pleasure are deeply interconnected—neither seems able to exist in fullness without the other, so parsing out which one is primary might not matter for his argument here.
"For they seem to be bound up together and not to admit of separation, since without activity pleasure does not arise, and every activity is completed by the attendant pleasure."
Aristotle is making the point that pleasure and activity are intrinsically interconnected—they cannot exist separately. Pleasure does not happen in a vacuum; it emerges only when you're actively doing something. For example, you don’t experience the pleasure of listening to music unless you're actively engaging with it (e.g., hearing and paying attention). Likewise, any activity you do, whether it’s work, learning, or relaxing, feels more complete or fulfilling when accompanied by pleasure. In short, pleasure enhances and perfects activity, and activity is the context in which pleasure arises—they are deeply intertwined.