Aristotle's Ethical Concepts

Last Updated: 2020-01-15

One reason people find it difficult to understand Aristotle's thinking about the good life is that translators often miss the mark in rendering his key concepts into English. I've spent a long time pondering how to get beyond and behind the Latinate terms usually employed so that the original Greek sense of Aristotle's thinking shines through. Here's what I've come up with so far.

• ἀγαθός (agathos) = good [opposed to κακός]
• αἵρεσις (hairesis) = pursuit, preference
• αἱρετά (haireta) = valuable; preferable; worth choosing
• αίσχρός (aischros) = wrong, ugly, shameful; thus repulsively wrong [opposed to καλός]
• ἀκολασία (akolasia) = decadence, lack of moderation [opposed to σωφροσύνη]
• ἀκόλαστης (akolastes) = wild, uncorrected
• ἀκρασία (akrasia) = self-indulgence, impulsiveness (not "incontinence") [contrasted with ἐγκράτεια]
• ἀκριβής (akribes) = finished, precise (not "perfect")
• ἁμάρτημα (hamartema) = mistake
• ἁμαρτία (hamartia) = missing the mark; error (not "sin")
• ἀνόητος (anoetos) = thoughtless, lacking in insight
• ἀπορία (aporia) = impasse, perplexity (not "puzzle")
• ἀρετή (arete) = thriving, excellence (not "virtue") [opposed to μοχθηρία]
• ἀρχή (arche) = source or principle
• ἀφροσύνη (aphrosune) = foolishness [opposed to σωφροσύνη]
• βίος (bios) = way of life
• βουλεύεσθαι (bouleuesthai) = to take counsel with oneself, to reflect
• βούλησις (boulesis) = wish, purpose (not "conation")
• δεῖ (dei) = should, need to, bound to (not "ought to")
• διάνοια (dianoia) = thinking through (not "intellection")
• διωκτά (diokta) = worth seeking
• δύναμις (dunamis) = ability, capacity (not "potentiality")
• ἐγκράτεια (enkrateia) = self-control (not "continence") [contrasted with ἀκρασία]
• εἶδος (eidos) = way of being, identity (not "species" or "form")
• ἐνέργεια (energeia) = working at a task; activity (not "actuality")
• ἐντελέχεια (entelecheia) = achieving a goal, accomplishing a task, becoming complete; realization (not "actuality")
• ἕξις (hexis) = practice or disposition (not "habit")
• ἐπιθυμία (epithumia) = need, craving
• ἐπιστήμη (episteme) = understanding, knowledge (not "science")
• ἔργον (ergon) = task, work (not "function")
• εὐβουλία (euboulia) = success at reflection; deliberating well
• εὐδαιμονία (eudaimonia) = living well, flourishing (not "happiness")
• εὐπραξία (eupraxia) = success at taking action; conducting oneself well
• ἡδονή (hedone) = enjoyment, pleasure
• ἠθική (ethike) = having to do with character (not "moral")
• ἦθος (ethos) = character
• θεραπεία (therapeia) = cultivation (not "service")
• θεωρία (theoria) = awareness, inquiry (not "contemplation")
• θυμός (thumos) = want, ardor
• καθ' αὑτὸ (kath' auto) = in itself, central, essential (not "per se")
• κακός (kakos) = bad [opposed to ἀγαθός]
• καλός (kalon) = right, beautiful, noble; thus beautifully right [opposed to αίσχρός]
• κατὰ συμβεβηκός (kata sumbebekos) = by the way, peripheral, incidental (not "per accidens")
• λογίζομαι (logizomai) = to consider, to reflect (not "to ratiocinate")
• λογιστικόν (logistikon) = reflective (not "calculative")
• μεγαλοψυχία (megalopsuchia) = greatness of soul (not "pride")
• μέσον (meson) = midpoint
• μεσότης (mesotes) = balance (not "the mean")
• μοχθηρία (mochtheria) = corruption [opposed to ἀρετή]
• νοῦς (nous) = insight (not "intellect")
• ὄρεξις (orexis) = reaching, yearning, desire (not "appetition")
• ὀρθός (orthos) = straight as contrasted with wayward (not "right")
• ὀρθός λόγος (orthos logos) = straight thinking, correct reasoning (not "right reason" or "right rule")
• ὀρθός ὄρεξις (orthos orexis) = straight yearning, correct reaching
• ὅρος (horos) = standard
• οὐσία (ousia) = thinghood, entity, being (not "substance")
• πάθος (pathos) = reaction, experience, feeling (not "passion") [contrasted with πράξις]
• ποίησις (poeisis) = making [contrasted with πράξις]
• πόλις (polis) = community (not "city")
• πολιτική (politike) = social (not "political")
• πράξις (praxis) = taking action [contrasted with πάθος and with ποίησις]
• προαίρεσις (prohairesis) = decision, plan, choice
• σκοπός (skopos) = target
• σοφία (sophia) = sagacity
• σπουδαῖος (spoudaios) = worthy, serious, good [opposed to φαῦλος]
• συμφέρων (sumpheron) = gain, advantage
• σωφροσύνη (sophrosune) = moderation (not "temperance") [opposed to ἀφροσύνη or ἀκολασία]
• τελεία (teleia) = complete (not "perfect")
• τελειώτατον (teleiotaton) = most complete
• τέλος (telos) = goal, completion (not "perfection")
• τέχνη (techne) = skill, craft (not "art")
• τὸ ὄν (to on) = existence, being
• τὸ τί ἦν εἶναι (to ti en einai) = what it is to be a thing (not "essence")
• φαῦλος (phaulos) = unworthy, trifling, bad [opposed to σπουδαῖος]
• φιλία (philia) = love; personal relationship; partnership [not "friendship"]
• φιλός (philos) = one who is dear; partner [not "friend"]
• φρόνειν (phronein) = to be minded
• φρόνησις (phronesis) = wisdom, mindfulness (not "prudence")
• χρῆσις (chresis) = use, employment, application
• ψυχή (psuche) = aliveness (not "soul")

Peter Saint-Andre > Writings > Aristotle