"The Aim of Man" borrows most of the issues from the Nichomachean Ethics, a document Aristotle wrote to tutor his son, Nichomachus. In "The Aim of Man," Aristotle defines the word good. He says that it is not something you are; it is something you do. Feeling good comes from the activities you do. I agree with Aristotle; I believe that action is the path to happiness.Getting accepted to Stevens Institute of Technology made me happy; but in order to get accepted, I had to do a lot of different things like get good grades, do good on my SATs, do extracurricular activities, etc.
Aristotle also says that statecraft is the highest good because it consists of all the arts and sciences. It sorts out the types of sciences and arts that are used in different areas. He states that good statecraft ensures the good of the nation, which is why it is the highest good. I agree with him on the point that it assures the good of a country, so it can be named the greatest good. However, from an individual's perspective, I think that statecraft does not provide a single person with the maximum goodness. So, the phrase, "highest good," can be debatable, as statecraft provides the whole population chunks of its goodness.
Aristotle talks about whether or not happiness is dependent on wealth. The wealth of people changes very often. However, true happiness is not something that should change as frequently as money does. So, happiness is not dependent on money.
Aristotle also talks about whether or not to judge a man's happiness only after he dies. After the man dies, his happiness cannot change. During his life, however, his happiness can change at times; hopefully not as many times as changes in wealth. So, a good measure of a man's happiness is when nothing can affect his happiness, which is after death.
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