TheMagna Moralia (Latin for "Great Ethics") is a treatise onethics traditionally attributed toAristotle, though the consensus now is that it represents an epitome of his ethical thought by a later, if sympathetic, writer. Several scholars have disagreed with this, taking theMagna Moralia to be an authentic work by Aristotle, notablyFriedrich Schleiermacher,Hans von Arnim, andJ. L. Ackrill. In any case, it is considered a less mature piece than Aristotle's other ethical works, viz. theNicomachean Ethics and theEudemian Ethics. There is some debate as to whether they follow more closely theEudemian or theNicomachean version of theEthics.
The name "Magna Moralia" cannot be traced further back in time than the reign ofMarcus Aurelius. Henry Jackson suggested that the work acquired its name from the fact that the two rolls into which it is divided would have loomed large on the shelf in comparison to the eight rolls of theEudemian Ethics, even though the latter are twice as long.[1] The title has been translated toGreek as "Ἠθικὰ Μεγάλα."[2]
GreekWikisource has original text related to this article:Ἠθικὰ Μεγάλα
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