Nicomachean Ethics Cover Image

Nicomachean Ethics

by Aristotle

Start Free Trial

Student Question

What is Aristotle's view on how people can attain happiness, and why does he believe a child cannot be deemed happy? What distinction does he make between happiness and simply having good times?

Quick answer:

According to Aristotle, people become happy by acting virtuously. Children cannot be called happy because they do not yet have the capacity for such virtuous acts. A happy life must be viewed as a whole, meaning that no one's life can ultimately be regarded as happy until they are dead.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

The answers to these questions are to be found in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, book 1, chapter 9. The page number will vary according to the text you are using, but the chapter is so short that it will probably not cover more than two pages in any text.

Aristotle says that one can become happy by acting virtuously, making it the object of one's "study and care" to perform noble acts. A child cannot be viewed as happy because children are not yet capable of performing the type of virtuous acts that bring happiness. The same is true of animals, which can only be contented.

A life cannot be judged as happy until it is over, since many changes occur in life, and no one knows until a person is dead whether their life will end happily. This is the difference between having a happy life overall and merely enjoying some good times. The point that Aristotle makes here is the same as that of Solon, whom he mentions in the next chapter: call no man happy until he is dead. Aristotle gives the example of Priam, King of Troy, who seemed to have lived a very happy life until he was an old man. In old age, however, he was forced to witness the slaughter of his sons and the destruction of Troy, before his own brutal death at the hands of Neoptolemus.

Get Ahead with eNotes

Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Approved by eNotes Editorial