About Nicomachean Ethics
What it's about
Aristotle's lectures on the good life. Everything we do aims at some good, and the highest is happiness: living by reason, well, over a whole life. We become good by habit, and virtue lies in the mean between too much and too little.
Who it's for
Students who have met Aristotle in ethics class, and anyone curious where ideas like 'the golden mean' and 'we are what we repeatedly do' come from.
- Level
- CEFR B2
- Length
- 3 parts · about 863 words
- Reading time
- about 7 minutes (~2 min per part)
- Author
- Aristotle
If you liked this, read
- The Apology · B2
- Meditations · B2
- The Analects · B2
Looking for something easier or harder? See Easy English books by level (A1–B2).
Reading Nicomachean Ethics in English: quick answers
- What English level is Nicomachean Ethics on SeoJae Story?
- Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle is retold in simplified English at CEFR B2 (upper-intermediate). It is split into 3 short parts, and every sentence has a Korean translation you can show or hide, so a learner at that level can follow the story without a dictionary.
- Is Nicomachean Ethics hard to read in English?
- The original is written for native readers, with long sentences and older vocabulary, so most learners find it hard. This retelling keeps the story but uses simpler English at CEFR B2 (upper-intermediate), so if you read English at that level you can follow it, and the Korean translation is there for any line that stops you. If it feels too hard, start with an easier book one level down.
- How long does it take to read Nicomachean Ethics in simple English?
- About 7 minutes of reading in total — roughly 2 minutes per part across 3 parts. Listening to the audio narration, reviewing the vocabulary and taking each part's comprehension check adds a little more.
- Is this the full, unabridged text of Nicomachean Ethics?
- No. It is an abridged graded retelling written for English learners that follows the story of the original in 3 parts. Every part also lets you read the matching unabridged chapters from the original, split into short readings.
- Is Nicomachean Ethics free to read here?
- Yes. All 3 parts are free to read online, with the Korean translation, audio narration, vocabulary flashcards and comprehension questions included.
- Is Nicomachean Ethics in the public domain?
- Yes. Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics is in the public domain, and the original text is freely available from Project Gutenberg (eBook #8438). SeoJae Story's simplified retelling and Korean translation are original text written for learners.