he will be happy even when on the rack, or when
fallen into the direst misfortune, are intentionally or unintentionally talking
nonsense.）
[4]
But because Happiness requires the
gifts of fortune in addition, some people think that it is the same thing as good fortune;
but this is not so, since even good fortune itself when excessive is an impediment to
activity, and perhaps indeed no longer deserves to be called good fortune, since good
fortune can only be defined in relation to Happiness.
[5]
（ii.） Moreover, that all animals and all human beings pursue pleasure
is some indication that it is in a sense the Supreme Good: “
No rumor noised abroad by many peoples
Comes utterly to naught.1
”
[6]
But they do not all pursue the same pleasure, since the natural state and the best state
neither is nor seems to be the same for them all; yet still they all pursue pleasure.
Indeed it is possible that in reality they do not pursue the pleasure which they think and
would say they do, but all the same pleasure; for nature has implanted in all things
something divine.2 But as the
pleasures of the body are the ones which we most often meet with, and as all men are
capable of these, these have usurped the family title; and so men think these are the only
pleasures that exist, because they are the only ones which they know.
This text is part of:
Search the Perseus Catalog for:
View text chunked by:
- bekker page : bekker line
- book : chapter : section
Table of Contents:
Aristotle in 23 Volumes, Vol. 19, translated by H. Rackham. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1934.
The Annenberg CPB/Project provided support for entering this text.
Purchase a copy of this text (not necessarily the same edition) from Amazon.com