Essays on Aristotle's Eudemian Ethics

Two major works on ethics have come down to us under Aristotle’s name, the Nicomachean Ethics and the Eudemian Ethics, but, quite unjustifiably, the Eudemian Ethics has been largely neglected by students of ancient philosophy. This important collection of essays from the sixth Keeling colloquium on ancient philosophy tries to rectify this one-sided approach to Aristotle’s ethics by focusing on the positions and arguments of the Eudemian Ethics. As the essays demonstrate, Aristotle’s views in the Eudemian Ethics frequently differ in interesting and surprising ways from those found in the Nicomachean Ethics and deserve study for their own sake, not merely for purposes of comparison with the Nicomachean Ethics. The contributors include some of the best known Aristotle scholars of the present day. Christopher Rowe and Jennifer Whiting investigate the Eudemian Ethics’ account of friendship (philia) while M.M. McCabe examines the closely related issue of self-knowledge in EE VII.12. Stephen White analyzes the Eudemian Ethics’ account of eudaimonia, David Charles focuses on voluntary action, and Friedemann Buddensiek investigates Aristotle’s difficult discussion of good fortune (eutuchia) in EE VIII.2. The volume also contains critical discussions of these papers provided by commentators, who, along with Whiting and McCabe, include Julia Annas and Sarah Broadie.