Book 10 / Chapter 6
Paragraph 1 - The Nature of Happiness
Explanation - Part By Part
"Now that we have spoken of the virtues, the forms of friendship, and the varieties of pleasure, what remains is to discuss in outline the nature of happiness, since this is what we state the end of human nature to be."
Aristotle begins by saying that, after covering virtues (the qualities that make someone good), the types of friendship, and the different kinds of pleasure, the next logical step is to discuss happiness. This is because, in his view, happiness is the ultimate goal or purpose of human life—what people strive for as the highest good. It’s the final destination that everything else points toward, making it central to understanding what it means to live a fulfilled human life.
"Our discussion will be the more concise if we first sum up what we have said already. We said, then, that it is not a disposition; for if it were it might belong to some one who was asleep throughout his life, living the life of a plant, or, again, to some one who was suffering the greatest misfortunes."
Aristotle is emphasizing that happiness is not merely a disposition—like a general state or quality someone passively possesses. If happiness were just a disposition, then absurd scenarios could arise: for instance, even someone who is asleep their entire life (essentially inactive, like a plant), or someone enduring great misfortunes, could still somehow be considered "happy." Clearly, this doesn't make sense to Aristotle, because happiness, in his view, requires active engagement in life and cannot be reduced to a passive state or condition. Happiness is not about simply "being" in a certain state; it's about doing and living in a meaningful, active way.
"If these implications are unacceptable, and we must rather class happiness as an activity, as we have said before, and if some activities are necessary, and desirable for the sake of something else, while others are so in themselves, evidently happiness must be placed among those desirable in themselves, not among those desirable for the sake of something else; for happiness does not lack anything, but is self-sufficient."
Aristotle is working to clarify what happiness (eudaimonia) truly is and why it can't just be a passive state or condition. He argues that if happiness were merely a "disposition" (a static trait, like being asleep or existing in a vegetative state), it wouldn’t suit the nature of human life or its purpose. Instead, Aristotle insists that happiness is active—it’s tied to doing and being in an engaged, meaningful way.
He goes on to explain that some activities are done for the sake of achieving something else (like working to earn money), while other activities are done entirely because they are valuable in and of themselves. Happiness, he argues, clearly belongs to this second category because it is complete and stands on its own—it doesn't serve as a means to any further goal. It is self-sufficient, meaning it fulfills all that a person truly needs to live a good, flourishing life. Essentially, happiness is about engaging in what matters most for its own sake, not as a tool for something else.
"Now those activities are desirable in themselves from which nothing is sought beyond the activity. And of this nature virtuous actions are thought to be; for to do noble and good deeds is a thing desirable for its own sake."
Aristotle is pointing out that some actions are valuable purely because of the nature of the actions themselves, not because they lead to something else. In other words, their value isn’t based on achieving an external result; their worth is inherent. Virtuous actions—like acting with kindness, courage, or justice—fall into this category. These deeds are considered "noble" and "good" and are worth doing simply because they embody excellence and moral goodness. You don't act courageously to get something in return or to fulfill a need; you act courageously because courage itself is deeply fulfilling and meaningful.