Nicomachean Ethics

“Graham has written about Aristotle on virtue as one of the few ancient texts that addresses practical questions about how to live without sliding into abstraction. He is drawn to the idea that character is built through repeated action — consistent with his views on how founders develop judgment.”

“Aristotle's ethics grounds the classical philosophy strand. Thiel's argument in Zero to One that the best career is not the most competitive but the most singular echoes Aristotle's eudaimonia—a life fully actualized in its own specific excellence rather than in comparison to others. The contrast with Girard is deliberate: where Girard sees mimesis as inescapable, Aristotle points toward a way out.”

“Aristotle's account of what it means to live well. The concept of eudaimonia — flourishing, not just happiness — and the doctrine of virtue as a mean between excess and deficiency provide the framework for nearly all subsequent virtue ethics. Denser than Plato, but the practical chapters on friendship and political life repay the effort.”