Book 7 / Chapter 12
Paragraph 4 - Pleasures and Health
Explanation - Part By Part
"The view that pleasures are bad because some pleasant things are unhealthy is like saying that healthy things are bad because some healthy things are bad for money-making."
Aristotle is addressing a flawed way of thinking. Some people argue that pleasures are inherently bad because certain enjoyable things can be harmful to health (e.g., overeating or indulging in harmful substances). Aristotle challenges this reasoning by pointing out its inconsistency: it's like saying that health itself is bad because some things that are good for your health (like exercise or a certain diet) might harm your ability to make money. In both cases, the conclusion is illogical—just because something can have negative effects in certain situations doesn't mean it is bad in and of itself.
"Both are bad in the respect mentioned, but they are not bad for that reason-indeed,"
Aristotle is emphasizing that something being "bad" in a specific context or under certain circumstances doesn't make it inherently bad. For example, some pleasurable things might be unhealthy, but that doesn't mean all pleasures are bad by nature. Similarly, healthy activities might not be good for making money, but that doesn't mean all healthy activities are inherently bad.
His point is that judging something (like pleasure or health) based solely on one negative consequence is an overly simplistic way of reasoning. Things can have specific drawbacks in given situations, but that doesn't define their overall value or nature as "bad." In a broader sense, he's urging us to think more carefully about how we evaluate the goodness or badness of things by not conflating a specific harm with their essential quality.
"thinking itself is sometimes injurious to health."
Aristotle is making an important point here about the nature of activities and their effects. He argues that it is flawed reasoning to label something as inherently "bad" simply because it can have negative consequences in specific circumstances. Using the example of thinking, he highlights that intellectual activity—generally seen as valuable and good—can sometimes harm one’s health (for instance, overthinking or excessive mental strain leading to stress or physical exhaustion). However, this does not mean thinking is bad in general; the harm arises from the context or the way it is practiced.
This part serves as a reminder to evaluate things more carefully and not dismiss their overall value based on isolated cases or secondary effects. It encourages a nuanced view of actions and their outcomes.