1. Aristotle describes a virtue as a “mean” or “intermediate” between two extremes:
one of excess and one of deficiency
. 2. Example: bravery (e.g. on a battlefield) Involves how much we let fear restrict or modify our actions. Bravery is the mean or intermediate between cowardliness and rashness.
What does Aristotle mean by claiming that virtue is a mean?
Aristotle defines moral virtue as a disposition to behave in the right manner and as a mean
between extremes of deficiency and excess, which are vices
. … Virtue is a matter of having the appropriate attitude toward pain and pleasure.
Why does Aristotle say that virtue is a mean or intermediate?
That moral virtue is a mean, then, and in what sense it is so, and that it is a mean between two vices, the one involving excess, the other deficiency, and that it is such because its character is to aim at what
is intermediate in passions
and in actions, has been sufficiently stated.
Why is Aristotle’s virtue of character a mean?
Why, for Aristotle, is a virtue of character a mean, a mesote ̄s (or “between-state”)? The usual answer is:
because each virtue is between two vices, one an excess and one a deficiency.
What does Aristotle mean when he says that virtue is a state in a mean that is relative to us?
So virtue is
a purposive disposition
, lying in a mean that is relative to us and determined by a rational principle, by that which a prudent man would use to determine it.
How does one become virtuous according to Aristotle?
How do we become virtuous, according to Aristotle?
By making sacrifices of ourselves for the good of others
. By performing virtuous actions until they become habitual. By engaging in philosophical reflection.
What is the greatest good according to Aristotle?
For Aristotle,
eudaimonia
is the highest human good, the only human good that is desirable for its own sake (as an end in itself) rather than for the sake of something else (as a means toward some other end).
Why according to Aristotle is it difficult to be virtuous?
For moral excellence is concerned with pleasures and pains; it is on account of the pleasure that we do bad things, and on account of the pain that we abstain from noble ones.” If you are not virtuous, then
virtue is painful and vice is pleasant
. This is why it is difficult to become virtuous.
What is the highest form of happiness according to Aristotle?
Aristotle concludes the Ethics with a discussion of the highest form of happiness:
a life of intellectual contemplation
. Since reason is what separates humanity from animals, its exercise leads man to the highest virtue.
Which of the following is the highest virtue?
Truth
is the highest virtue, but higher still is truthful living.
What are virtues of character according to Aristotle?
In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle describes virtues in two types, one of character and another of thought. Virtues of character include things like
bravery, temperance, and generosity
, while virtues of thought include wisdom and prudence.
What are the 12 virtues of Aristotle?
- Courage – bravery.
- Temperance – moderation.
- Liberality – spending.
- Magnificence – charisma, style.
- Magnanimity – generosity.
- Ambition – pride.
- Patience – temper, calm.
- Friendliness – social IQ.
Virtue ethics is a philosophy developed by Aristotle and other ancient Greeks.
It is the quest to understand and live a life of moral character
. This character-based approach to morality assumes that we acquire virtue through practice. … So, virtue ethics helps us understand what it means to be a virtuous human being.
How can a person become virtuous?
How does a person develop virtues? Virtues are
developed through learning and through practice
. As the ancient philosopher Aristotle suggested, a person can improve his or her character by practicing self-discipline, while a good character can be corrupted by repeated self-indulgence.
What is the difference between performing virtuous actions and having a virtuous character?
An action is only right if it is an action that a virtuous person would carry out in the same circumstances. A virtuous person is a person who acts virtuously. A person acts virtuously if they “
possess and live the virtues
“
What is the ultimate virtue?
In conclusion, according to Aristotle, what is
happiness
? Happiness is the ultimate end and purpose of human existence. Happiness is not pleasure, nor is it virtue. It is the exercise of virtue. Happiness cannot be achieved until the end of one’s life.
