The Path to Eudaimonia: A Critical Analysis of The Relationship Between Morality and Politics in Aristotle

This article aims to reveal the strong interaction between ethics and politics by examining Aristotle's understanding of ethics and politics through the concept of eudaimonia. According to Aristotle, eudaimonia is the ultimate goal of human beings. The most effective means of achieving this goal is through the field of politics. In this respect, Aristotle argues that a social order should be ensured and a virtuous life should be encouraged for the happiness of the individual. Aristotle’s practical philosophy, taking into account the fact that the individual is a social being, exhibits an approach that evaluates morality and politics in an integrity. The fact that David Ross's particular examination of Aristotle's ethics with its social dimensions and his politics with its moral dimensions points to the importance of this idea. In our study, the critical roles of Aristotle’s concepts of phronesis (practical wisdom) and mesos (middle way) in the relationship between ethics and politics are elaborated. In particular, works such as Ethics of Nicomacheus, Ethics of Eudemos and Magna Moralia reveal how these concepts are handled. In this context, especially through these works, Aristotle, on the one hand, reveals the importance of practical wisdom and moderation, which are essential for a virtuous life, and on the other hand, he argues that individuals should contribute to the happiness of others not only for their own happiness, but also by fulfilling the duties of being a zoon politicon being. This view is previously encountered in Plato’s State by emphasising the relationship between the ideal social order, politics and virtue, and in this framework, the idea that moral virtues form the basis of political structures is put forward. Taking this context into consideration, the article analyses how Aristotle’s understanding of eudaimonia shapes both individual and social happiness within the relationship between morality and politics. Keywords: Ethics, Politics, Aristotle, Plato, Eudaimona, Phronesis, Mesos