Book 10 / Chapter 5
Paragraph 1 - Diversity of Pleasures and Activities
Explanation - Part By Part
"For this reason pleasures seem, too, to differ in kind."
Aristotle is saying here that not all pleasures are the same; they vary in type or "kind." Just like different activities or faculties (like thinking, sensing, or creating art) are distinct, the pleasures that come from these activities are also distinct and unique to each one.
"For things different in kind are, we think, completed by different things (we see this to be true both of natural objects and of things produced by art, e.g. animals, trees, a painting, a sculpture, a house, an implement); and, similarly, we think that activities differing in kind are completed by things differing in kind."
Aristotle is making the point that just as various things in the world are distinct and have unique characteristics—whether they are natural, like animals and trees, or created by humans, like paintings or tools—they require different "completions" or components to be considered whole or finished. For example, a painting is perfected by its colors and design, while a house is completed with its structure and functionality. Similarly, when it comes to human activities, which vary in type and purpose, each type of activity achieves its fulfillment or completion through something specific and unique to it. This sets the stage for discussing how pleasures, too, are not one-size-fits-all but are tied to the nature of the activity they accompany.
"Now the activities of thought differ from those of the senses, and both differ among themselves, in kind; so, therefore, do the pleasures that complete them."
Aristotle is pointing out that there are different types of activities in human life, such as thinking (related to the mind) and sensing (related to the physical senses). These activities are fundamentally different in nature. Because each type of activity is unique, the pleasures that come from completing or fulfilling those activities must also be different. In simpler terms, the pleasure one feels from deep thinking or intellectual achievement isn’t the same as the pleasure one might feel from listening to music or tasting good food—each matches the kind of activity it arises from.