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Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

In his Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle defines moral virtue as the possession of such qualities as self-control, courage, generosity, high-mindedness, gentleness, friendliness, truthfulness, etc. The possession of such qualities occurs through action---acts of self-control, courage, generosity, etc. Actions of such self-control, courage, etc., occur again and again in the life of the morally virtuous individual. Moral virtue, then, is a factor not of genetics but of action, and particularly repeated action:

Moral virtue . . . is formed by habit. . . . None of the moral virtues is implanted in us by nature, for nothing which exists by nature can be changed by habit. . . . We are by nature equipped with the ability to receive [the virtues], and habit brings this ability to completion and fulfillment (33).

We all, then, possess the capacity to be morally virtuous, but Aristotle says that only through habitual exercise of the virtues in action do we become morally virtuous. Again and again, in specific examples, Aristotle makes clear that moral virtue is a matter of practice, that we become a good person through practicing the virtues, much as one becomes a good musician---or a bad musician---only in the act of playing his or her instrument: "It is by playing the harp that men become both good and bad harpists" (34).

It is also an essential part of the definition of moral virtue, according to Aristotle, that the habits practiced find a middle ground between excess and deficiency. The acts of courage which create the courageous person are, obviously, void of cowardice, but neither do they imply utter fearlessness. The "mean" is what is sought through reason and proper choice of action considering specific circumstances:

Actions determine what kind of characteristics are developed. . . . The man who shuns and fears everything and never stands his ground becomes a coward, whereas a man who knows no fear at all and goes to me...

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Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 08:44, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1690511.html