Ethics

During the first part of the thirteenth century several anonymous commentaries on a partial version of the Ethics (called Ethica vetus = Nicomachean Ethics II-III, completed by Ethica nova = Nicomachean Ethics I) were produced, but Albert is probably the first Latin commentator of the complete version of the Ethics (known as Ethica Lincolniensis, a new translation of Robert Grosseste around 1246-1247). He was also the first to make a great use of the collection of Byzantine commentaries (especially Eustratus’ called ‘‘the Commentator’’ by Albert) also translated by Grosseste. He commented Ethics twice, first around 1250 in Cologne, a literal commentary with questions reported by Thomas Aquinas (=Super ethica, Alberti Magni Opera omnia IV/1-2, Munster, ed. W. Kiibel), then he wrote another commentary around 1262 (=Ethica, ed. Jammy t. 4a, Borgnet t. 7). His commentaries had a great influence during the Middle Ages. He contrasts the theoretical and practical aspects of Aristotle’s teaching through the distinction of ethica utens (ethics as a rule for life) and ethica docens (ethics as a subject-matter for teaching). He tried to clarify the relationships between human felicity and Christian happiness in God, a reflection linked to his complex theory of the human intellect, its place within the soul, its relationship to the body, and to man himself. Human felicity is described, in accordance with the second part of book X of the Ethics, as the form of pleasure attached to the activity of the best part of man’s soul, the intellect, which is extrinsic to the body, and whose perfection is to be found in the conjunction with the separate agent Intellect.