Volume 1: What is “good” for humans?

Chapter 1: Humans pursue “goodness” in all their actions.
Chapter 2: Political Science is the Study of What is Best for Humanity
Chapter 3: Political Science is Not a Precision Science
Chapter 4: Problems Concerning Happiness, the Best
Chapter 5: Three Types of Life: The Hedonistic Life, the Political Life, and the Contemplative Life
Chapter 6: Criticism of the view that there is an archetype of goodness
Chapter 7: After examining the unique functions of human beings, we arrive at a definition of happiness, the ultimate and self-sufficient good.
Chapter 8: Our Definition of Happiness Matches What the Public Thinks of Happiness
Chapter 9: How to Achieve Happiness
Chapter 10: Shouldn't anyone say they are happy while they are alive?
Chapter 11: Do the fortunes and misfortunes of the living also affect the dead?
Chapter 12: Virtue is praiseworthy, but happiness is more than that.
Chapter 13: Virtue is divided into intellectual virtue and moral virtue.

Book 2: What Are Moral Virtues?

Chapter 1: Moral Virtue is Acquired Through Habit
Chapter 2: Avoiding Excess or Deficiency
Chapter 3: Enjoying the Practice of Virtue is a Sign of Acquiring Moral Character
Chapter 4 Conditions for Acquiring Virtue
Chapter 5: Virtue is not a feeling or ability, but a character.
Chapter 6 Virtue differs from vice in that it is a character that chooses moderation.
Chapter 7: The Principle of Moderation Applied to Individual Virtues
Chapter 8: Excess and deficiency are in conflict with each other, and also with moderation.
Chapter 9: Practical Guidelines for the Doctrine of the Mean

Book 3: Virtues and Vices

Chapter 1: The Objects of Praise and Criticism are Voluntary Acts
Chapter 2 Rational Choice
Chapter 3: The Nature and Object of Deliberation
Chapter 4: The Object of the Wind is Good Things or Things That Look Good
Chapter 5: Virtues and Vices Are Our Responsibility
Chapter 6 Courage
Chapter 7 Courage, Cowardice, and Recklessness
Chapter 8: Five Characteristics Called Courageous But Not Courageous
Chapter 9: Courage and Pain
Chapter 10: Temperance is Related to Physical Pleasure
Chapter 11: Temperance and Intemperance
Chapter 12: Intemperance and Spontaneity

Book 4: Other Virtues

Chapter 1 Generosity: The Virtue Associated with Small Wealth
Chapter 2: The Great Treasure: The Virtues Associated with Great Wealth
Chapter 3: Ambition: Virtues Associated with Great Honor
Chapter 4: Virtues Associated with Small Honors
Chapter 5: Gentleness: A Virtue Related to Anger
Chapter 6: Virtues Related to Social Relations
Chapter 7 Truthfulness: A Virtue Related to Words and Actions
Chapter 8: A Virtue of Playfulness
Chapter 9 Shame

Book 5 Definitions

Chapter 1 Justice and Injustice
Chapter 2: Definition of Virtue as a Whole and Definition of Virtue as a Part
Chapter 3 Distributive Justice
Chapter 4 Correcting Justice
Chapter 5 Definition of Exchange
Chapter 6 Political Justice
Chapter 7 Natural Justice and Legal Justice
Chapter 8: Volunteering and Involunteering
Chapter 9: The Problem of Voluntarily Suffering Injustice
Chapter 10: Fairness in Correcting Legal Justice
Chapter 11: Is it possible to do injustice to oneself?

Book 6: Intellectual Virtues

Chapter 1 Right Reason
Chapter 2 Virtue is a combination of intelligence and desire.
Chapter 3 Academic Awareness
Chapter 4 Technology
Chapter 5 Practical Wisdom
Chapter 6: Intuitive Intelligence
Chapter 7: Philosophical Wisdom
Chapter 8: Practical Wisdom and Politics
Chapter 9: Consideration
Chapter 10 Comprehension
Chapter 11 Insight
Chapter 12 Practical Wisdom and Cleverness
Chapter 13: The Relationship Between Practical Wisdom and Virtue

Book 7: The Nature of Pleasure: With and Without Self-Control

Chapter 1: Common Myths About Moderation, Self-Control, and Patience
Chapter 2: Myths and Challenges Associated with Lack of Self-Control
Chapter 3: Incontinence and Ignorance
Chapter 4: What it means to have no self-control
Chapter 5: Beastly Nature
Chapter 6: Various Types of Incontinence
Chapter 7: Incontinence, Excessive Temperance, and Impatience
Chapter 8: Incontinence and Excessiveness
Chapter 9: Self-Control
Chapter 10: Lack of Self-Control and Character
Chapter 11: Common Ideas About Pleasure and Goodness
Chapter 12: A Review of Common Sense About Pleasure
Chapter 13: Joy and Happiness
Chapter 14: Physical Pleasure and Human Nature

Volume 8: Love (1)

Chapter 1: Common Myths and Difficulties About Love
Chapter 2: Object of Love
Chapter 3: Three Kinds of Love
Chapter 4: Perfect Love
Chapter 5: Love from Character
Chapter 6: Characteristics of Different Types of Love
Chapter 7: Love Between Unequals
Chapter 8: Loving and Being Loved
Chapter 9 Love and Justice
Chapter 10: Love and Political Systems
Chapter 11: Political System, Justice, and Love
Chapter 12 Love Between Kin
Chapter 13: Love among Equals
Chapter 14: Love Between Unequals

Volume 9: Love (2)

Chapter 1: Principles Related to Giving and Receiving
Chapter 2: The Priority Between Different Kinds of Love
Chapter 3: The End of Love
Chapter 4 Love and Self-Love
Chapter 5 Love and Kindness
Chapter 6 Harmony
Chapter 7: Giving and Receiving Help
Chapter 8 Two Kinds of Narcissism
Chapter 9: Happiness and Love
Chapter 10: How Many Friends Should You Have?
Chapter 11: When Do You Need Friends?
Chapter 12: Love is Living Life Together

Book 10: Joy and Happiness

Chapter 1: Conflicting Views on Pleasure
Chapter 2: The View that Pleasure is Good
Chapter 3: The View That Pleasure Is Not Beneficial
Chapter 4: The Joy of Activity
Chapter 5: Types of Pleasure
Chapter 6 Happiness
Chapter 7: The Happiness of Contemplative Activity
Chapter 8: Moral Activity is the Second Best Happiness
Chapter 9: Ethics, Legislation, and Political Systems

Release | Park Moon-jae
Important Terms and Concepts
Aristotle's Chronology

The fundamental human desire,
About “What makes me happy”
Empirical Insights from Humanity's Greatest Philosopher

This book is a compilation of writings written by Aristotle to help him understand and lecture on where human happiness comes from, how it is possible, and how it is maintained and developed.
It is said that Aristotle's disciple Eudemus first wrote down his teacher's lectures, and then Aristotle's son Nicomachus compiled the manuscript and published this book.
In other words, this book is a very rare 'hot content' in which the greatest philosopher of mankind shared his thoughts on the personal and intimate subject of 'happiness' with his disciples and sons.
This is why, even after 2,400 years, people still consider the Nicomachean Ethics to be Aristotle's representative work.


Aristotle emphasizes in the first chapter of this book that he wrote the Nicomachean Ethics to understand what is best for human beings.
People call the best thing for humans 'happiness', so let's examine what that happiness really is.
When we see that all living things, including humans and animals, pursue pleasure, we can say that happiness, which is the best, cannot but be the most enjoyable, and we delve into what 'pleasure' is.


Why did Aristotle use this method? There are two reasons.
First, this is because the Greeks approached ethics from the perspective of “good, pleasant, and happy” rather than using the concepts of good and evil or duty and obligation, and using the concept of “good or bad.”
In that era, Aristotle also closely observed almost all human behavior in order to find the conditions for happiness that fit human nature, and he had to examine not only appearances but also virtue, moderation, intelligence, behavior, and reason.


Second, the author believed that all true knowledge cannot be separated from what people actually experience in reality, and that it necessarily exists in real life, and he sought to prove that this is indeed the case.
Aristotle does not simply accept people's common notions about happiness and pleasure, but shows the process of uncovering them one by one using reason (logos) and intellect (nous).
The beauty of this book lies not in simply knowing the conclusion, but in confirming the honest reasoning process and insight he demonstrated.


Aristotle wrote several works on ethics, the most famous of which is the Nicomachean Ethics.
He says that virtue is related to the proper function of a particular thing.
For example, an eye is good only when it can see properly.
Because the unique function of the eye is to see.
Likewise, he believed that humans also had a unique function, which was the activity of the soul ('psyche') according to reason ('logos').
He taught that the rational activity of the soul is directed toward “happiness” (eudaimonia), which is the goal of all intentional human actions.


For lifelong happiness
Laying the most important intellectual foundation

Aristotle viewed happiness (ε?δαιμον?α, eudaimonia) as “an activity of the soul in which the proper functions of a human being are excellently exercised according to virtue (arete).”
It refers to a state in which people want to choose something “in itself” regardless of the outcome or reward, and are self-sufficient without any lack.


And humans should do the work given to them by their own nature ('ergon'), and for that work, they should use their reason ('logos') and intellect ('nos') which are given only to humans and not to animals.
Therefore, human happiness cannot but lie in the activity of reason and intellect ('energeia').
Even if we think that we can find temporary happiness in eating and drinking or simply living a sensual life, it is not inherently good for human nature, since animals also experience such things.


The image of a 'happy person' that the Greeks so desired was one in which various emotions, desires, and actions were well-managed by reason and intellect, and a state in which life's meaning was continuously fulfilled.
Since happiness is an activity of reason and intellect, the first activity involves governing the various emotions and desires arising from sense perception with reason, and the second activity involves governing the “action” itself with reason.
When this control is properly exercised, a certain character ('ethos') or state ('hexis') appears in us, which is called "virtue" ('arete').


The sense of accomplishment, growth, enlightenment, and satisfaction that comes from maximizing one's abilities combine to create happiness in life.
And in this process, he believed that the reason (Logos) and intellect (Nous) given to humans must be used.


Through the Nicomachean Ethics, readers can witness the process of serious reflection of a philosopher who, on an important topic of life (in this case, 'happiness'), uses all of his reason and intellect to reach a high-level conclusion, and they can also catch a glimpse of the "contemplative life" that is revealed and emanates from the process.
Rather than simply concluding with a short answer about "happiness according to Aristotle," if you read this book carefully, imagining the smile of the wise man who is persuading and lecturing us with its contents, you will be able to lay the foundation for a thought experiment for lifelong happiness.


380 meticulous footnotes and comprehensive commentary,
A comprehensive explanation of 15 important terms
Aristotle's masterpiece!

The hurdles to overcome for such high-level work are high and varied.
A time gap of about 2,300 years, the logical system of the Greeks and the argumentation method that is considered somewhat boring and useless, similar philosophical concepts and words, the author's difficult writing style that makes it difficult to understand the meaning even if the original text is faithfully translated... Just as an elementary school student who only liked comic books would have difficulty understanding a novel by a Nobel Prize-winning author, this book will not provide immediate enjoyment to readers who are accustomed to reading and understanding immediately.


But for readers seeking a path to lasting and deepening happiness throughout life, this book is a treasure.
This is because Aristotle systematically teaches the path to 'eudaimonia' (happiness), a concept that combines 'resilience' and 'positive psychology', through this book, which is a compilation of lectures given to his son Nicomachus.


Translator Park Moon-jae, who has translated the original Greek texts such as Aristotle's Rhetoric and Poetics, and Aurelius's Meditations, with meticulous commentary and footnotes, has also helped readers gain a deeper understanding in this book with 380 meticulous footnotes, comprehensive commentary that covers the entire text without unnecessary details, and comprehensive explanations of 15 important Greek terms.
In particular, the translator made efforts to present a more appropriate translation by comparing it with past translations.


Looking at reader reviews of the various translations of the Nicomachean Ethics published in the past, the main complaint was, “It seems to have some meaning, but there is nothing left after reading it all.”
This is because the original text itself is difficult to understand and readers are not familiar with philosophical concepts and argumentation methods.
Hyundai Jisung Classics has been painstakingly edited by veteran editors through more than five rounds of proofreading and editing to ensure that the book can be read in one sitting.
The meaning is clearly conveyed through the Korean translation itself, without having to compare it with other versions or refer to the original text or English version.


By following these guidelines, readers will be able to gradually peel away the cultural and temporal layers that have accumulated over the text and discover for themselves the path to happiness that is just right for them in their daily lives.
Now, through this book, let us experience the joy of philosophizing, the “contemplative activity” that Aristotle spoke of as the greatest happiness.