Aristotle+F+p.+105-106

__**Make sure that you summarize and get to the heart of his logical argument. Section 9**__

The heart of this article is whether happiness is acquired by learning or by habituation, training, or divine providence, or simply by chance. He suggests that happiness should be a god-given gift to man, but then he goes on to say that happiness comes as a result of virtue and some process of learning or training. Since happiness is the ultimate end, it must be god-like and blessed. Since those who aren't deformed may win their happiness with a kind of study and care. Happiness can not be determined by chance it is too great and noble a thing to be arranged that way. So therefore oxen and horses can not be happy, for none is capable of sharing in such an activity. Not only is completes virtue required for happiness, but also complete life, and that is why a young boy can not be happy, but merely excited.

__**Section 10.**__

The heart of Aristotle's argument is that success, failure, or an unexpected turn of fate or luck does not determine our happiness. He says that success is a great addition to happiness, but it doesn't define someone's happiness. He also proclaims that nothing is permanent; that there is consistent change. One may expect many minor misfortunes, but a man's overall happiness cannot be lost to such minor problems. He assures us that the only one thing that can make one truly happy is to continuously question and contemplate life. Aristotle also exclaims that the best function of man is upheld when he performs virtuous activities. If one is truly good, then he is happy. A man "will be happy throughout his life; for always, or by preference to everything else, he will be engaged in virtuous action. He also says that events will come in our lives that will come with pain (i.e. death), and that will test our happiness. But once again, Aristotle assures us that if we are truly good and noble that we will overcome those events and continue to be happy. And although he says that success and failures do not contribute completely, or take away our happiness, he does say that "human life...needs these as mere additions", but it is the virtuous activities that keep us happy permanently, because happiness lasts forever. We see this through out the reading, especially on page 106, paragraph 3, Aristotle says "If activities are, as we said, what gives life its character, no happy man can become miserable; for he will never do the acts that are hateful and mean. For the man who is truly good and wise, we think, bears all the chances life becomingly and always makes the best of circumstances, as a food general makes the best military use of he army at his command and a good shoemaker makes the best shoes out of the hides that are given him; and so with all other craftsmen. And if this is the case, the happy man can never become miserable...". Aristotle finishes the thought by restating that hapiness is the end, the telos, of humans. He writes, "Certainly the future is obscure to us, while happiness, we claim is an end and something in every way final."

On page 106 Aristotle discusses how humans may go through various events in their lives that can bring about happiness, or have events that can shatter their happiness when he says " A multitude of great events if they turn out well will make life happier, while if they turn out ill they crush and maim happiness." He also says that it is how humans handle hardships that makes them noble and good. If humans can bear misfortune with oppitimisim then we achieve " nobility and greatness of the soul", which means we ultimately gain happiness by acting this way. So by saying that " if activities are what gives life its character, no man can become miserable", that means that having a positive outlook on life will not push us to do acts of harm, and if we never do acts of harm we will not become miserable and that helps us gain our happiness because we can do good.-- Katie Betken.