ETHICS

Here, Aristotle is revisiting the idea that wish — the strong desire or longing for something — is aimed at a goal or an "end." Now, when we wish for something, there’s debate about what exactly we are wishing for. Is it always something objectively good (something that is inherently valuable or beneficial), or is it simply something that appears good to us (even if it might not actually be good)?

This distinction matters because it examines whether human beings are naturally drawn toward what is truly good, or whether they can mistakenly wish for things that merely seem good at first glance but might actually be harmful or flawed.

Aristotle is discussing whether people naturally wish for what is good or what merely seems good to them (even if it's not truly good). Here, he challenges the idea that people always wish for "the good." If this were true, then when someone wishes for something but chooses poorly—say, they desire something harmful or wrong—they wouldn't actually be wishing for an object of true desire. For something to be an object of "wish," it would have to be genuinely good, and yet, in this case, the person ended up desiring something bad. This creates a conflict: how can someone wish for "the good" but end up with something harmful? Aristotle is using this problem to question whether people really wish for "the good" in all cases.

Aristotle is saying here that if someone believes that what we wish for is based only on what seems good to us individually (the "apparent good"), then they must also accept that there is no universal or natural standard for what we should wish for. Instead, it would depend entirely on personal perception—what seems good to one person might not seem good to another, meaning our wishes are subjective. This leads to the idea that people could wish for entirely different, or even opposing, things because their perspectives on what is "good" differ.

Aristotle is pointing out that what people consider "good" can vary greatly depending on individual perspectives, experiences, and values. Something that one person sees as good might seem entirely opposite—or even bad—to someone else. For example, one person might find joy in pursuing wealth, while another believes a simple life is far more fulfilling. This diversity of opinions on what is "good" highlights how subjective human perceptions can be.