The Nicomachean Ethics is a treatise written by Aristotle in the 4th century BCE. It is one of the most important works in the history of Western philosophy, and it explores the nature of happiness and how to achieve it. The work is divided into 10 books and covers topics such as virtue, the role of reason in decision making, the nature of friendship, and the concept of eudaimonia, which is often translated as 'happiness' or 'flourishing'. Aristotle argues that eudaimonia is the ultimate goal of human life and can be achieved through the practice of virtue, which he defines as a state of character concerned with choice. The work also discusses the concept of the 'golden mean', which is the middle ground between excess and deficiency in any particular virtue. Overall, the Nicomachean Ethics provides a comprehensive ethical framework that has been influential in Western philosophy and continues to be studied today.Part of the Encyclopaedia Britannica’s Great Books of the Western World set.This book has 85,097 words. This translation by W. D. Ross was originally published in 1925.