Aristotle

An ancient Greek philosopher and scientist, better known as the teacher of Alexander the Great.

Aristotle was born in 384BC. For twenty years he studied at Athens at the Academy of Plato, on whose death in 347 he left, and some time later became tutor to Alexander the Great. On Alexander’s succession to the throne of Macedonia in 336, Aristotle returned to Athens and established his school and research institute, the Lyceum. After Alexander’s death he was driven out of Athens and fled to Chalcis in Euboea where he died in 322. His writings profoundly affected the whole course of ancient and medieval philosophy.

PhilosophersNotes on Aristotle 's Books All PhilosophersNotes

The Nicomachean Ethics

by Aristotle

Aristotle's writings have been extraordinarily influential since ancient times. This treatise is named after his son and is a collection of his lecture notes--imagining attending his Lyceum and listening to him teach 2,300 years ago! Of course, it's packed with culture-changing Big Ideas. Some of my favorites we cover include the ultimate end: eudaimonic happiness (vs. "happiness" as most of us think about it!), how to achieve that eudaimonia (hint: "virtuous activity of the soul" aka areté), how to win the Olympic Games (hint: you can't just show up; you need to ACT!), the doctrine of the mean (and the vice of deficiency + excess) and the virtue of magnanimity: meet YOUR great soul.

Packs:

Antifragility & Habits & Modern Hērō

+1s Inspired by Aristotle All +1s

Virtuous Activity of the Soul
#465

Get instant access to all +1's!

Join nearly 10,000 members in the
1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge
and start optimizing your life today.

Join Now

Aristotle on How to Be Happy

In our last +1, we talked about Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and the fact that his word for “happiness” was VERY different than our word. Eudaimonia, as we discussed, literally means “good soul” and implies a powerful sense of actualizing our potential—succeeding in expressing the best with...

+1 inspired by Note: The Nicomachean Ethics

Packs:

Optimal Living & Purpose

Areté big-picture Eudaimonia soul Spirit Virtue

Aristotle’s “Happiness”
#464

Get instant access to all +1's!

Join nearly 10,000 members in the
1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge
and start optimizing your life today.

Join Now

Isn’t Quite What You Think

Aristotle was born in Greece on the border of Macedonia in 384 BC. His father was the court physician to the Macedonian king. At the age of seventeen, he went to Athens where he studied with Plato in his Academy for TWENTY years until Plato’s death. Shortly thereafter, he was summoned to Macedonia by t...

+1 inspired by Note: The Nicomachean Ethics

Packs:

Purpose & Self-Image

Actualization Ancient Wisdom Best of Optimize Eudaimonia Happiness Philosophy soul Spirit

How to Win the Olympic Games
#470

Get instant access to all +1's!

Join nearly 10,000 members in the
1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge
and start optimizing your life today.

Join Now

Hint: Compete

I can’t resist. One more +1 on Aristotle. So… The Olympic Games started in Olympia (not too far outside of Athens) in 776 BC. A few centuries later, Aristotle told us that you can’t just SHOW UP at the Olympics and look like a great athlete, you have to actually COMPETE. Here’s how he puts it: �...

+1 inspired by Note: The Nicomachean Ethics

Packs:

Conquering Procrastination & Peak Performance

Conquering Procrastination Mastery Mental Toughness Peak Performance Practice Virtue Work

We Are What We Repeatedly Do
#469

Get instant access to all +1's!

Join nearly 10,000 members in the
1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge
and start optimizing your life today.

Join Now

Excellence, then, Is Not an ACT but a Habit

Today we have the final installment in our What Would Aristotle Do? +1 series. We’ve gotta talk about habits. You know that E P I C Aristotle quote: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”? Well, hate to break the news, but Aristotle didn’t actually say that....

+1 inspired by Note: The Nicomachean Ethics

Packs:

Habits & Purpose

big-picture compound Excellence Philosophy soul Spirit

Are You Pusillanimous?
#468

Get instant access to all +1's!

Join nearly 10,000 members in the
1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge
and start optimizing your life today.

Join Now

Much Better to be Magnanimous

A couple +1s ago I promised to chat about Aristotle’s thoughts on magnanimity. It’s one of the “Other Moral Virtues” he talks about after he covers the Big 2: Courage and Self-Control. Magnanimity might just be my favorite word. Do you know what it literally means? Magna = “great” + animus = ...

+1 inspired by Note: The Nicomachean Ethics

Packs:

Purpose & Self-Image

Actualization Eudaimonia flourish Happiness soul Spirit

Aristotle’s Doctrine of the (Virtuous) Mean
#466

Get instant access to all +1's!

Join nearly 10,000 members in the
1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge
and start optimizing your life today.

Join Now

vs. The Vices of Excess and Deficiency

Continuing our “What does Aristotle have to say about Optimizing?” theme, let’s chat a little more about HOW Aristotle tells us we can achieve a eudaimonic sense of happiness via “virtuous activity of the soul.” In short, Aristotle tells us that virtuous activity will always be at the “mean�...

+1 inspired by Note: The Nicomachean Ethics

Packs:

Conquering Perfectionism & Optimal Living

Happiness Philosophy self-awareness soul Spirit Virtue

Encourage
#721

Get instant access to all +1's!

Join nearly 10,000 members in the
1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge
and start optimizing your life today.

Join Now

To Inspire with Hope, Courage and Confidence

Not too long ago, we talked about the shiny new Optimize Virtue Meditation we’re working on as part of our Optimize Coach program. I’ve been thinking a lot about the virtues in general and the meditation in particular—especially a sub-virtue to Love that I’d like to talk about Today. First, super...

+1 inspired by Note: The Nicomachean Ethics

Packs:

Connection & Love

community Compassion connection courage Love relationships Spirit

Encourage - Part 2
#722

Get instant access to all +1's!

Join nearly 10,000 members in the
1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge
and start optimizing your life today.

Join Now

Making the Case for Elevating Its Status

In our last +1, I made the case for why the virtue of encouragement should be elevated to its proper status in the pantheon of how to best express our love for people in our lives. I’d like to continue asserting my case. (Yes, I dropped out of Law School before a semester was over—go Boalt Class of 2...

+1 inspired by Note: The Nicomachean Ethics

Packs:

Love & Modern Hērō

courage Eudaimonia Love love2-0 modern-hero relationships Spirit

Aristotle’s Yoga
#927

Get instant access to all +1's!

Join nearly 10,000 members in the
1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge
and start optimizing your life today.

Join Now

Which Way Do YOU Need to Bend?

A couple years ago, we chatted about Aristotle’s Virtuous Mean. Then, a year ago, we dusted off that wisdom and approached it from a slightly different angle in a +1 called Aristotle’s Doctrine of the (Virtuous) Mean. Today we’re going to dust off that gem one more time and then take Aristotle and ...

+1 inspired by Note: The Nicomachean Ethics

Packs:

Energy & Movement

Coach Energy movement oscillate Recovery Virtue

Sign In Forgot your password?

No problem!

Get 3 free PhilosophersNotes

Aristotle

An ancient Greek philosopher and scientist, better known as the teacher of Alexander the Great.

PhilosophersNotes on Aristotle 's Books All PhilosophersNotes

Packs:

+1s Inspired by Aristotle All +1s

Virtuous Activity of the Soul #465 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

Packs:

Aristotle’s “Happiness” #464 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

Packs:

How to Win the Olympic Games #470 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

Packs:

We Are What We Repeatedly Do #469 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

Packs:

Are You Pusillanimous? #468 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

Packs:

Aristotle’s Doctrine of the (Virtuous) Mean #466 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

Packs:

Encourage #721 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

Packs:

Encourage - Part 2 #722 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

Packs:

Aristotle’s Yoga #927 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

Packs:

Virtuous Activity of the Soul
#465

Get instant access to all +1's!

Join nearly 10,000 members in the
1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge
and start optimizing your life today.

Join Now

Aristotle’s “Happiness”
#464

Get instant access to all +1's!

Join nearly 10,000 members in the
1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge
and start optimizing your life today.

Join Now

How to Win the Olympic Games
#470

Get instant access to all +1's!

Join nearly 10,000 members in the
1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge
and start optimizing your life today.

Join Now

We Are What We Repeatedly Do
#469

Get instant access to all +1's!

Join nearly 10,000 members in the
1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge
and start optimizing your life today.

Join Now

Are You Pusillanimous?
#468

Get instant access to all +1's!

Join nearly 10,000 members in the
1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge
and start optimizing your life today.

Join Now

Aristotle’s Doctrine of the (Virtuous) Mean
#466

Get instant access to all +1's!

Join nearly 10,000 members in the
1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge
and start optimizing your life today.

Join Now

Encourage
#721

Get instant access to all +1's!

Join nearly 10,000 members in the
1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge
and start optimizing your life today.

Join Now

Encourage - Part 2
#722

Get instant access to all +1's!

Join nearly 10,000 members in the
1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge
and start optimizing your life today.

Join Now

Aristotle’s Yoga
#927

Get instant access to all +1's!

Join nearly 10,000 members in the
1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge
and start optimizing your life today.

Join Now