The Magna Moralia: A Critical Introduction - Graduate Seminar (MT 2026)

Mondays, 11am–1pm; Schwarzman Centre, Ryle Room (20.339)

Convened by Prof Karen Margrethe Nielsen

In this seminar, we will examine the philosophical argument of the Magna Moralia, one of three treatises on ethics that form part of the Aristotelian corpus. The Magna Moralia has frequently been dismissed as an inferior version of Aristotle’s ethical thought, attributed to students or later redactors. But arguments for its authenticity are gaining traction. Our examination will be critical in a broadly Kantian sense: a systematic study of the nature, scope and strength of the argument developed in the Magna Moralia, rather than an attempt to find fault with it relative to some standard set by the better known Eudemian or Nicomachean Ethics (‘EE’ and ‘EN’). Where the MM differs from the EE and EN, we will analyse the argument of the MM on its own terms and consider possible explanations for the departure. Where the MM mirrors the EE or EN, we will again consider plausible explanations. Our aim will be to understand the overarching structure of the argument in the MM as well as its philosophical treatment of specific topics. 

Week 1: The Three Ethics; The Reception of the Magna Moralia 

Week 2: Happiness in the MM 

Week 3: Virtue of Character in the MM 

Week 4: The Nature and Origins of Human Action 

Week 5: The Individual Virtues of Character (with special emphasis on Justice) 

Week 6: Virtues of Thought in the MM 

Week 7: Akrasia in the MM 

Week 8: Friendship in the MM; The text of the Magna Moralia