§1.8#2ἀνάπαλιν δὲ καὶ δεικτέον ἢ ὡς νῦν δεικνύουσι τὸ ἀγαθὸν αὐτό.
But we must demonstrate in the opposite way to how they now demonstrate the good itself.
νῦν μὲν γὰρ ἐκ τῶν ἀνομολογουμένων ἔχειν τὸ ἀγαθόν, ἐξ ἐκείνων τὰ ὁμολογούμενα εἶναι ἀγαθὰ δεικνύουσιν, ἐξ ἀριθμῶν, ὅτι ἡ δικαιοσύνη καὶ ἡ ὑγίεια ἀγαθόν· τάξεις γὰρ καὶ ἀριθμοί, ὡς τοῖς ἀριθμοῖς καὶ ταῖς μονάσιν ἀγαθὸν ὑπάρχον διὰ τὸ εἶναι τὸ ἓν αὐτὸ ἀγαθόν.
For now, from things not agreed to possess the good, they demonstrate that the agreed goods are goods; for instance, from numbers, they demonstrate that justice and health are goods, on the ground that they are order and numbers, as though the good belongs to numbers and units because the one itself is the good.
δεῖ δʼ ἐκ τῶν ὁμολογουμένων, οἷον ὑγιείας ἰσχύος σωφροσύνης, ὅτι καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀκινήτοις μᾶλλον τὸ καλόν.
But one ought to demonstrate from the agreed goods, such as health, strength, and temperance, that the beautiful is present even more in the changeless.
πάντα γὰρ τάδε τάξις καὶ ἠρεμία· εἰ ἄρα, ἐκεῖνα μᾶλλον· ἐκείνοις γὰρ ὑπάρχει ταῦτα μᾶλλον.
For all these agreed goods are order and stillness; if so, then those changeless things are even more so, for these characteristics belong to them even more.
—παράβολος δὲ καὶ ἡ ἀπόδειξις ὅτι τὸ ἓν αὐτὸ τὸ ἀγαθόν, ὅτι οἱ ἀριθμοὶ ἐφίενται· οὔτε γὰρ ὡς ἐφίενται λέγονται φανερῶς, ἀλλὰ λίαν ἁπλῶς τοῦτο φασί, καὶ ὄρεξιν εἶναι πῶς ἄν τις ὑπολάβοι ἐν οἷς ζωὴ μὴ ὑπάρχει;
And the demonstration that the one itself is the good because numbers desire it is hazardous; for they do not state clearly how they desire it, but assert this too simply, and how could one suppose desire to exist in things where there is no life?
δεῖ δὲ περὶ τούτου πραγματευθῆται, καὶ μὴ ἀξιοῦν μηθὲν ἀλόγως, ἃ καὶ μετὰ λόγου πιστεῦσαι οὐ ῥᾴδιον.
But one must treat of this seriously, and not make any groundless assumptions about things which, even with an argument, it is not easy to believe.
—τό τε φάναι πάντα τὰ ὄντα ἐφίεσθαι ἑνός τινος ἀγαθοῦ οὐκ ἀληθές· ἕκαστον γὰρ ἰδίου ἀγαθοῦ ὀρέγεται, ὀφθαλμὸς ὄψεως, σῶμα ὑγιείας, οὕτως ἄλλο ἄλλου.
And to say that all existing things desire some one good is not true; for each desires its own proper good—the eye sight, the body health, and so in other cases.
ὅτι μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτό τι ἀγαθόν, ἔχει ἀπορίας τοιαύτας, καὶ ὅτι οὐ χρήσιμον τῇ πολιτικῇ, ἀλλʼ ἴδιόν τι ἀγαθόν, ὥσπερ καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις, οἷον γυμναστικῇ εὐεξία·
Thus, that there is no such thing as a "good itself" involves such difficulties, and also that it is not useful for political science, but rather some proper good, just as for other sciences, such as healthiness for gymnastics.
ὁμοίως δʼ οὐδὲ τὸ κοινὸν ἀγαθὸν οὔτε αὐτὸ ἀγαθόν ἐστι (καὶ γὰρ ἂν μικρῷ ὑπάρξαι ἀγαθῷ) οὔτε πρακτόν.
Likewise, neither is the common good identical with the good itself, (for it might belong even to a small good), nor is it practicable.
οὐ γὰρ ὅπως ὑπάρξει τὸ ὁτῳοῦν ὑπάρχον ἡ ἰατρικὴ πραγματεύεται, ἀλλʼ ὅπως ὑγίεια. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τεχνῶν ἑκάστη.
For medicine does not study how to produce what belongs to anything whatsoever, but how to produce health; and similarly each of the other arts.
ἀλλὰ πολλαχῶς τὸ ἀγαθόν, καὶ ἔστι τι αὐτοῦ καλόν, καὶ τὸ μὲν πρακτὸν τὸ δʼ οὐ πρακτόν.
But the good is said in many ways, and there is a beautiful part of it, and some of it is practicable and some is not.
πρακτὸν δὲ τὸ τοιοῦτον ἀγαθόν, τὸ οὗ ἕνεκα. οὐκ ἔστι δὲ τὸ ἐν τοῖς ἀκινήτοις.
And the practicable good is of such a kind, namely that for the sake of which other things are done; but it is not the good in changeless things.
φανερὸν ὅτι οὔτε ἡ ἰδέα τἀγαθοῦ τὸ ζητούμενον αὐτὸ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐστίν, οὔτε τὸ κοινόν (τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀκίνητον καὶ οὐ πρακτόν, τὸ δὲ κινητὸν μὲν ἀλλʼ οὐ πρακτόν)·
It is clear, then, that neither the idea of the good is the good itself that is sought, nor is the common good (for the former is changeless and not practicable, while the latter is changeable but still not practicable).
τὸ δʼ οὗ ἕνεκα ὡς τέλος ἄριστον καὶ αἴτιον τῶν ὑφʼ αὑτὸ καὶ πρῶτον πάντων.
But that for the sake of which, as an end, is the best, and the cause of what is under it, and the first of all.
ὥστε τοῦτʼ ἂν εἴη αὐτὸ τὸ ἀγαθὸν τὸ τέλος τῶν ἀνθρώπῳ πρακτῶν.
So that this would be the good itself, the end of things practicable for man.
τοῦτο δʼ ἐστὶ τὸ ὑπὸ τὴν κυρίαν πασῶν. αὕτη δʼ ἐστὶ πολιτικὴ καὶ οἰκονομικὴ καὶ φρόνησις.
And this is under the master science of all, which is politics, economics, and prudence.
διαφέρουσι γὰρ αὗται αἱ ἕξεις πρὸς τὰς ἄλλας τῷ τοιαῦται εἶναι· πρὸς δʼ ἀλλήλας εἴ τι διαφέρουσιν, ὕστερον λεκτέον.
For these states differ from the others in being of this kind; and whether they differ at all from one another must be discussed later.
ὅτι δʼ αἴτιον τὸ τέλος τοῖς ὑφʼ αὑτό, δηλοῖ ἡ διδασκαλία.
And that the end is the cause of what is under it is shown by teaching.
ὁρισάμενοι γὰρ τὸ τέλος τἆλλα δεικνύουσιν, ὅτι ἕκαστον αὐτῶν ἀγαθόν· αἴτιον γὰρ τὸ οὗ ἕνεκα.
For having defined the end, they demonstrate the other things, that each of them is a good; for that for the sake of which is the cause.
οἷον ἐπειδὴ τὸ ὑγιαίνειν τοδί, ἀνάγκη τόδε εἶναι τὸ συμφέρον πρὸς αὐτήν· τὸ δʼ ὑγιεινὸν τῆς ὑγιείας αἴτιον ὡς κινῆσαν, καὶ τότε τοῦ εἶναι ἀλλʼ οὐ τοῦ ἀγαθὸν εἶναι τὴν ὑγίειαν.
For example, since being healthy is such and such, it is necessary that this should be what is beneficial for it; and that which is healthy is the cause of health as a moving cause, and then of its being, but not of health being a good.
ἔτι οὐδὲ δείκνυσιν οὐθεὶς ὅτι ἀγαθὸν ἡ ὑγίεια, ἂν μὴ σοφιστὴς ᾖ καὶ μὴ ἰατρός (οὗτοι γὰρ τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις λόγοις σοφίζονται), ὥσπερ οὐδʼ ἄλλην ἀρχὴν οὐδεμίαν.
Furthermore, no one demonstrates that health is a good, unless he is a sophist and not a physician (for these play the sophist with arguments external to the subject), just as they do not demonstrate any other principle.
τὸ δʼ ὡς τέλος ἀγαθὸν ἀνθρώπῳ καὶ τὸ ἄριστον τῶν πρακτῶν, σκεπτέον ποσαχῶς τὸ ἄριστον πάντων, ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο ἄριστον, μετὰ ταῦτα ἄλλην λαβοῦσιν ἀρχήν.
But as for the good for man as an end and the best of practicable things, we must examine in how many ways the best of all is said, since this is the best, after taking another principle.