Book 7 / Chapter 11
Paragraph 1 - The Role of Pleasure and Pain in Political Philosophy
Explanation - Part By Part
"The study of pleasure and pain belongs to the province of the political philosopher; for he is the architect of the end, with a view to which we call one thing bad and another good without qualification."
Aristotle is pointing out that understanding pleasure and pain is crucial for someone studying politics or ethics because these feelings are at the core of human life. A political philosopher (or ethical thinker) is like an "architect" who aims to design and guide society towards its ultimate goal (the "end" or highest good). To do this, they need to determine what is truly good and bad in an absolute sense, as these judgments shape how laws, virtues, and moral principles are constructed. In short, understanding how pleasure and pain influence people is key to creating a just and flourishing society.
"Further, it is one of our necessary tasks to consider them; for not only did we lay it down that moral virtue and vice are concerned with pains and pleasures,"
In this part, Aristotle is emphasizing the importance of examining pleasure and pain because they are deeply tied to moral behavior. Specifically, he points out that moral virtue (good character) and vice (bad character) are closely connected to how we experience and respond to pleasures and pains. For example, someone who is virtuous will find pleasure in noble or good actions and discomfort in bad ones, while someone with vice might enjoy harmful actions or feel little discomfort in doing wrong. Understanding this link is key to understanding human motivation and moral development.
"but most people say that happiness involves pleasure; this is why the blessed man is called by a name derived from a word meaning enjoyment."
Aristotle is pointing out a significant connection between happiness and pleasure in human understanding. He observes that most people equate being happy with experiencing pleasure. In fact, the idea of a "blessed" or truly happy person is linguistically tied to the concept of enjoyment or pleasure—meaning that even the language we use reflects this association. This highlights how deeply ingrained the link between happiness and pleasure is in human thought, though Aristotle will likely go on to explore whether this connection is as straightforward as people often assume.