{"id":844,"date":"2026-05-20T17:41:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T17:41:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/nicomacheanethics\/?post_type=chapter&p=844"},"modified":"2026-05-20T18:42:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T18:42:26","slug":"section-4-2-digression-on-the-starting-point-for-inquiries-about-the-good","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/nicomacheanethics\/chapter\/section-4-2-digression-on-the-starting-point-for-inquiries-about-the-good\/","title":{"rendered":"Section 4.2: Digression on the starting-points for inquiries about the good"},"content":{"raw":"Let us not fail to notice, however, [30]<\/sub> that there is a difference between arguments proceeding from starting-points and arguments leading to starting-points. For Plato, too, was right in raising this question and asking, as he used to do, \"are we on the way from or to the starting-points?\" There is a difference, as there is in a racecourse, between the course from the starting-point to the turning-point and the way back. [1095b1]<\/sub> For, while we must begin with what is known, things are knowable in two ways: some are knowable relative to us and some are knowable unconditionally. Presumably, then, we must begin with things knowable relative to us.\r\n\r\nThus, anyone who is to listen intelligently to lectures about what is noble and just, and generally, about the subjects of political wisdom, [5]<\/sub> must have been brought up with good habits. For the fact that some actions are good is the starting-point [relative to us], and if the starting-point is sufficiently plain to a person, he won't at the beginning need to know the reason why they are good. And the person who has been well brought up has or can easily get starting-points for our inquiry. But as for the person who neither has nor can get the starting-points, let him hear the words of Hesiod:\r\n\r\nFar best is he who knows all things himself;[10]<\/sub>\r\nGood, he that hearkens when men counsel right;\r\nBut he who neither knows, nor lays to heart\r\nAnother's wisdom, is a useless man.","rendered":"

Let us not fail to notice, however, [30]<\/sub> that there is a difference between arguments proceeding from starting-points and arguments leading to starting-points. For Plato, too, was right in raising this question and asking, as he used to do, “are we on the way from or to the starting-points?” There is a difference, as there is in a racecourse, between the course from the starting-point to the turning-point and the way back. [1095b1]<\/sub> For, while we must begin with what is known, things are knowable in two ways: some are knowable relative to us and some are knowable unconditionally. Presumably, then, we must begin with things knowable relative to us.<\/p>\n

Thus, anyone who is to listen intelligently to lectures about what is noble and just, and generally, about the subjects of political wisdom, [5]<\/sub> must have been brought up with good habits. For the fact that some actions are good is the starting-point [relative to us], and if the starting-point is sufficiently plain to a person, he won’t at the beginning need to know the reason why they are good. And the person who has been well brought up has or can easily get starting-points for our inquiry. But as for the person who neither has nor can get the starting-points, let him hear the words of Hesiod:<\/p>\n

Far best is he who knows all things himself;[10]<\/sub>
\nGood, he that hearkens when men counsel right;
\nBut he who neither knows, nor lays to heart
\nAnother’s wisdom, is a useless man.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":249,"menu_order":5,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-844","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":20,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/nicomacheanethics\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/nicomacheanethics\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/nicomacheanethics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/nicomacheanethics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/249"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/nicomacheanethics\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/844\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":857,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/nicomacheanethics\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/844\/revisions\/857"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/nicomacheanethics\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/20"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/nicomacheanethics\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/844\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/nicomacheanethics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/nicomacheanethics\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=844"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/nicomacheanethics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=844"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/nicomacheanethics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}