Full Idea
We are studying not to know what goodness is, but how to become good men.
Gist of Idea
We aim not to identify goodness, but to be good
Source
Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics [c.334 BCE], 1103b27)
Book Reference
Aristotle: 'Ethics (Nicomachean)', ed/tr. ThomsonJ A K/TredennickH [Penguin 1976], p.93
A Reaction
How can a philosopher not want to know what goodness is? Can you fail to be good if you know what goodness is? Can you be a good man without understanding goodness?