Aristotelean or Nichomachean Ethics is not concerned with what to do. Rather it

Question

Aristotelean or Nichomachean Ethics is not concerned with what to do. Rather it focuses on how to be,  it emphasizes the idea that the correct behavior is the result of cultivating virtue and moderation. Thus, if one makes a habit of virtue and avoids excess, the resultant behavior is likely to be ethical. Virtue is eminently practical in that it can be cultivated through practice until it becomes habit - this is practical wisdom.

Do you feel this is a comprehensive approach, is it better or worst than the Kantian and Utilitarian perspectives? Why or why not? Can you use all approaches as per the need? 

Explanation / Answer

Both Aristotle’s father and his son were named Nicomachus, so it is possible that the book is dedicated to either one. Other scholars suggest that Aristotle’s son may have edited the book after Aristotle died, so that the title “Nicomachean” may refer to this particular edition of Aristotle’s ethical works.

The goal of the Ethics is to determine how best to achieve happiness. This study is necessarily imprecise, since so much depends on particular circumstances.

Yes, we feel this is a comprehensive approach. It is better than the Kantian and Utilitarian perspectives.

The difficulty is that people don’t agree on what makes for a happy or good life, so the purpose of the Ethics is to find an answer to this question. By its nature, the investigation is imprecise because there are so many variables involved when considering a person’s life as a whole.

Aristotle defines the supreme good as an activity of the rational soul in accordance with virtue. Virtue for the Greeks is equivalent to excellence.

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