Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics book 2 | External Goods and Happiness | Philosophy Core Concepts

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This is a video in my new Core Concepts series -- designed to provide students and lifelong learners a brief discussion focused on one main concept from a classic philosophical text and thinker.
This video focuses on Aristotle's work, the Nicomachean Ethics, and focuses upon his discussion of the relation between external goods (including relations with other people) and happiness in book 1.
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This video is one component in a set of online courses covering Aristotle's entire Nicomachean Ethics. These include 94 lecture videos, 45 downloadable handouts and worksheets, 10 quizzes, 39 lesson pages, and other resources. Check it out in the ReasonIO Academy here - reasonio.teachable.com/p/arist...

[@MrMarktrumble]

To have Happiness is to be self sufficient. To depend on external goods means that one is not self-sufficient. To the degree one depends on external goods, is the same degree one loses happiness. Stoics, skeptics and sadus (naga babas) apply this reasoning to renounce the owning of property, and trade it for "the pearl of great price", happiness. The heroism of asceticism is clear to me, but the combination of my weakness and my environment has driven me to conventional employment and the ownership of a modest home. Without sleep I cannot concentrate. While I have slept in the bush( in optimal conditions) I cannot imagine being able to do so in the dead of winter. If I want to think, I am going to need to sleep regularly, and have a routine that supports quiet and focused time. Perhaps I am just too weak and lazy, and too much influenced by peer pressure. Clothes are rhetoric: As a teacher, I had one director whose only direction to me was "No jeans", which was meant to enforce the business casual rule at work. Since I work in a synthesis of a charity/business college rules are more lax than when I worked at bank. The parade of wealth and rank through conspicuous consumption and rank coded fashion implies a whole scheme of evaluation, of which I am bored. Perhaps I could not compete, but the truth is I read philosophy early in my life, and "took it to heart", and always had this perspective, Even as a somewhat disillusioned older man, ( be grateful your comforting illusions where stripped from you!) . and my very limited experience of wealth and "social standing" I still seek an intrinsic knowledge and character that is the highest good and self-sufficient happiness regardless of my environment. Resiliency: now that's what I want. The hide of a rhino, the strength of a wrestler, the calm of a pond ( when a pond is calm its surface is like a level. a carpenter could use it.), the fluid intelligence to problem solve, the ability to rest....stability is a balance about an intrinsic pivot point that marks a point of completion in the world.....the ship of thesus floats on and sails through the waves of fortune, things are torn away, things are gathered and integrated, but the central guiding principle of integrity and direction is never broken. I need to cultivate more calm, more intelligence, more insight and ignore resentment regarding social standing, wealth and power. ( and thus, Nietzsche is turned on his head, the great projector and accuser of "resentiment". And even he advocated...."love your fate"). I have seen people with wealth destroy themselves with it. I have to think and habituate myself to happiness. I have to return to my root. And I have to stop rambling. I want to assent to the stoics regarding the nature of external goods and virtue, but in my experience, would assent to a bare minimum of extrinsic goods as a support.

[@JoshV74656]

So according to Aristotle being happy requires acting virtuously (courageous, generous) and some amount of physical goods, very practical and a little more relatable than the philosophical paupers. I suppose I could be courageous and friendly while living under a bridge and eating out of a dumpster, but I doubt I would use the word happy to describe my predicament. And my virtuous activities would be limited by my lack of means. This video is a thorough lecture on Aristotle's different goods, very clear and precise, I found the part about biases and raising children to be particularly insightful tidbits.

[@GregoryBSadler]

Yes, that's his view

[@woodworm6936]

Great video! Thank you

[@GregoryBSadler]

You're welcome

[@brendanbuonsignore3381]

Great stuff. Thanks so much

[@GregoryBSadler]

You're welcome!

[@KaityLowe]

Thank you!

[@GregoryBSadler]

You're welcome!

[@Kwintessential2]

Ok time to catch up.

[@thatboyss5576]

I for one think you would look awesome with your hair down and wearing flannels.

[@GregoryBSadler]

You'll have to find me off TH-cam then, when it typically happens!

[@yazanasad7811]

I'm confused why this always seems to be taken as controversial (to seek wisdom) when he says a contemplative life is also acceptable?

[@GregoryBSadler]

I’m confused about what you're saying you’re confused about.

[@yazanasad7811]

@@GregoryBSadler I didn't know Aristotle advocated (if that's the right word) wisdom as a way to attain rationality. This way of life, I assume, would imply less external goods. Yet, the argument against Aristotle that I sometimes read is that he is too focused on the external when it comes to virtuous behaviour. It's interesting to see some nuance, unless I am mistaken by what he means by wisdom.

[@GregoryBSadler]

@@yazanasad7811 You seem very confused about all of this. I would spend some time carefully rereading what Aristotle has to say, and for the time being not worrying what arguments you think people are making against Aristotle

[@yazanasad7811]

@@GregoryBSadler Good point I haven't even done a full first reading on any work of Aristotle. Noted