Book II Moral Virtue

＊ We assume, then, that this kind of excellence tends to do what is best with regard to pleasures and pains, and vice does the contrary.

我們假設，最好的那部分，也就是德性，傾向於達到極致的快樂和痛苦，反之，最差的那部分，也就是邪惡，則傾向於達到極致的不快樂和不痛苦。

＊The following facts also may show us that virtue and vice are concerned with these same things. There being three objects of choice and three of avoidance, the noble, the advantageous, the pleasant, and their contraries, the base, the injurious, the painful, about all of these the good man tends to go right and the bad man to go wrong, and especially about pleasure; for this is common to the animals, and also it accompanies all objects of choices; for even the noble and the advantageous appear pleasant.

換言之，德性與邪惡所伴隨的這些，有三種選擇和三種狀況。

德行的選擇有崇高的、最好的、還有快樂。邪惡的狀況則是最低下的、有害的、痛苦。最好的那些人會傾向於做出正確的選擇，最差的人則是傾向做錯的選擇，特別是關於快樂這件事；傾向於選擇快樂和動物沒有什麼分別，而快樂也常常和所選的並行；然而，崇高的與最好的所帶來的甚高於快樂。

＊Again, it has grown up with us all from our infancy; this is why it is difficult to rub off this passion, engrained as it is in our life. And we measure even our actions, some of us more and others less, by the rule of pleasure and pain. For this reason, then, our whole inquiry must be about these; for to feel delight and pain rightly or wrongly has no small effect on our actions.

進一步說，在我們還是嬰孩時就已經如此了。這就是為什麼要除掉這種習以為常的選擇是這麼困難，它是如此根深蒂固於我們的生活。甚至在我們做出行為的衡量都不可避免它，只有少數的人不是仰賴避惡趨善的方式來做出行為。基於此，我們全部的倫理學工作就在於研究快樂和痛苦的恰當與否，這件事大大地影響我們的各種行為。