It's Greek to him [UPDATED]

A Philosophy 201 instructor at Catholic University of America writes that he used an excerpt of The Thrill of the Chaste to teach Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. While I'm not yet aware how exactly my book came in helpful, just the fact that it was used sounds like an honor — especially as I don't (yet) know Nichomachean from Nickelodeon.

UPDATE: The instructor, Paraic Maher, has since explained to me how he used it — at least, as best as he can explain it to one not familiar with Aristotle — but I don't want to spoil things for you should you take his course someday.

I can tell you that the excerpt he used was from Chapter 1, and it happens to be online — so, those of you who know Nicomachean Ethics can have fun figuring out what elements of the chapter proved instructive. The section in question is the one that begins halfway down the Web page, "All my adult life, I've struggled with my weight," and continues to the end of the chapter.

I look forward to reading your conjectures about the previously unknown (to me) Nichomachean elements of this piece of literature. Don't worry, there won't be a test.

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A bit of inside information: The variety of Cheez Doodles to which I refer in the chapter (and which I miss very much now that I've moved to Washington, where instead of Wise we have the far inferior Utz), is Crunchy Original.