Since the beginning of the Christ era, the Nicomachean ethics has

been regarded as ethics of Aristotle. Aristotle’s “self-realization” mainly

focuses on human potential, in line with his nature and once realizes its full

potential, he does moral and happy. I believe the goal of these ethics is not

to see if the person is following the right rules but rather if they have a

moral approach and expressing a good character doing stretching it’s

potential to do things.

For me it means that self-realization makes for us to see that we can

do anything that we know that we cannot by doing what is right. Aristotle’s

idea is that we have to see our potential to do things. For example if

someone is afraid to speak in front of other people, he must not be afraid

and be strong for himself. Aristotle’s “eudaimonia” focuses on doing and

living well. In other words, Aristotle’s says that the purpose of mankind is to

achieve happiness (eudaimonia).

I disagree on Aristotle’s idea that we must achieve happiness, but

what we need to achieve for me is what is our usefulness as a human. In

what sense we will find happiness if we do not know what is our usefulness

at all. We find ourselves happy on a certain situation but is that happiness

can bring ourselves to be useful? Aristotle’s “aretaic” moral philosophy is a

virtue-based meaning it focuses on the question “what we should do?” For

me, virtue is important because it is the exhibition of good behavior, and by

achieving aretaic moral philosophy its stretches the potential to do things

morally and virtually good that sometimes people are struggling to do.

Aristotle’s telos tells to us that the nature of beings lay at the end.

Meaning to say, telos is our goal to fulfill or what will be our purpose. For

example, we plant trees to give us a refreshing air and a fruit to eat. That’s

what telos want to tell us. Aristotle believes that the ultimate human goal is

self-realization. For me it is true since self-realization is mainly focuses on

human potential, people seeks happiness while concerning on its virtue. For

example, Happiness is related to virtue by means that virtue is something

that he/she likes to do like vices; it makes him/her happy.

And Aristotle also conclude that virtue must be habitually practice by

human. Also, we learn moral virtue primarily through habit and practice

rather than through reasoning and instruction. I agree on this idea of

Aristotle that having a virtue must be habitually practice by everyone

because practicing virtue can bring happiness to yourself. If you are good,

show them that you are good. Do not hide your goodness to everyone but

spread it to everyone else.

Virtue and golden mean for me concluded that it is the desirable

middle between two extremes, one of excess and the other of deficiency. For

example, in the Aristotelian view, courage is a virtue, but if taken to excess

would manifest as recklessness, and if deficient as cowardice. For me, the

moral behavior itself is the mean between the two extremes which identifies

the moral virtue at the midpoint. Aristotle wants to tell to us that we must

be on the midpoint which is the golden mean and by using the golden mean,

we can be virtues.

For me, phronesis is the practical wisdom that guides us on what is

appropriate to our moral virtue. It implies good judgement and excellence of

good character. According to Aristotle, in order to achieve being morally

virtuous man, one must habitually acts according to the moral virtue and

practical wisdom, which dictates the phronesis and its practices.