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How did Aristotle explain human happiness in the Nicomachean Ethics?

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Marble bust of Aristotle with a beard and draped robe, showing detailed facial features and wavy hair, set against a dark background. — Aristotle Aristotle, detail of a Roman copy (2nd century bce) of a Greek alabaster portrait bust (c. 325 bce); in the Museo Nazionale Romano, Rome.

In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle defines human happiness as eudaimonia, a term best understood as "flourishing" or "living well" rather than a fleeting state of contentment or pleasure.12

Aristotle argues that because every living thing has a unique function, the highest human good must be the excellent performance of the human function—the capacity to reason. Consequently, he defines happiness as an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue. This involves two primary categories:12
* Intellectual Virtues: Such as wisdom and understanding, which reach their highest expression in philosophical or scientific contemplation.12
* Moral Virtues: Such as justice, courage, and temperance, which are cultivated through long habituation and practical wisdom.12

While Aristotle identifies philosophical contemplation as the highest form of happiness, he acknowledges that action in the political sphere, guided by moral virtues, also constitutes a "secondary degree" of happiness. Ultimately, he emphasizes that eudaimonia is not an innate talent or a temporary feeling, but an active, lifelong achievement that requires appropriate social and material circumstances to be fully realized.1