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  • Essay / Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics in the film Hercules

    The way in which Aristotle opens the Nicomachean Ethics is by saying: "All art and all inquiry, and likewise all action and pursuit, are supposed to aim at a GOOD. » This quote explains that no matter who you are or where you are today, there is one fulfilling hope that unites each of us as humanity, and that is to be happy. Aristotle understood this and constructed a wide range of virtues that we should follow to lead a more just life and finally realize the human desire for happiness. Similarity, the Disney movie Hercules, can express this message that happiness is the most important thing in everyday life, being consistent with yourself will result in hard work to become content. By analyzing the ethical framework between Hercules and Nicomachean ethics, we can trace the following elements: teleology, friendship and the virtues. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Aristotle wishes to discover what the highest human good can be. The best good would be something we work for and desire as an end in itself. For Aristotle, achieving happiness is the telos of human life: “Happiness is therefore something final and self-sufficient, and it is the end of action.” Every action an individual performs results in happiness, and if an individual has achieved happiness, at that point they have satisfied their telos and continued a "good life." In relation to the film, Hercules, Telos and virtue ethics are strongly emphasized. At the beginning of the film, Hercules continually makes bad choices and the locals feared him because of his strength. He has not yet fully developed his virtue, thinking he was “saving” the agora, but it was destroyed. Therefore, Hercules confesses his desire to integrate into the community and create friendships (characteristics that Aristotle emphasizes and that a virtuous individual must have). His words are then expressed through the song: “Go the Distance”. Hercules sings to express that he will do his best to reside there and that he will not give up until he succeeds. Once reached, it is at this moment that he believes he can be content: “I will find my way, I will be able to go the distance/I will be there one day, if I can be strong/I know that every kilometer in will be worth it/I will. I go almost everywhere to feel like I belong. Hercules' main goal is to be happy with a decent life. Friendship is another important segment of Aristotelian ethics. It details three different categories of friendship: helpfulness, pleasure, and complete friendship. Of these three types, Aristotle believes that friendship found in the good constitutes the best kind of friendship. “In poverty as in other misfortunes, people suppose that friends are their only refuge…it is a help also to those who are in the prime of life to perform noble deeds, because “two going together » are more able to think and act. In other words, as people, we always need someone else to comfort us and help us live a stable life. Compared to the film, Hercules puts his life in danger to save Meg. After fighting Hades, Hercules transforms into a true hero and Meg's spirit returns to his body. Hercules then has the decision to choose either to stay on Earth with Meg and her friends, or to join the gods on Mount Olympus. As a result, he discovers that he will stay on Earth since he developed virtue and found happiness with his friends. That being said, developing connections between these individuals is what he calls “home” and true happiness. Furthermore, Aristotle also pointed out that..