The Nicomachean Ethics Book 3, Chapter 4 (1113a15-1113b2) Summary

  • Now onto wish. Wishing is a much more slippery term to figure out, since it relies on the moral state of the person desiring something.
  • We know for sure that it is concerned with ends, rather than the means of accomplishing anything.
  • Because if you're a "serious" or moral person, you will by default only wish for things that are really and truly good.
  • But if you aren't so moral, you could wish for something that only appears to be good (and might in reality turn out to be horrible).
  • Serious people have the gift of seeing all things as they truly are, but most people are sidetracked by the possibility of pleasure—which skews their perception.