Overview
This lecture covers Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics Book II, focusing on his virtue ethics framework, the development of moral character through habit, and the concept of the "golden mean" as central to moral virtues.
Types of Virtue
- Aristotle distinguishes between intellectual virtues (gained by teaching/learning) and moral virtues (developed through habit).
- We are not born virtuous or vicious; we have the capacity for both, shaped by habituation.
Formation of Moral Virtue
- Moral virtues are acquired by repeatedly performing virtuous actions ("fake it till you make it").
- Just as skills are learned by doing (e.g., builders by building), virtues are formed by acting justly, temperately, or courageously.
- Early habits significantly influence moral character.
The Golden Mean
- Virtue is a mean between the extremes of excess and deficiency (the "golden mean").
- Example: Courage lies between cowardice (deficiency) and rashness (excess).
- Similarly, temperance is the mean between insensibility and self-indulgence.
- Virtues are destroyed by excess or deficiency and preserved by the mean.
Virtue and Action
- To be virtuous, one must act with knowledge, choose to act for the right reasons, and act from a stable character.
- Performing just actions does not make one just; intentions and repeated, proper practice matter.
- Virtue requires practical application, not just theoretical understanding.
Nature and Definition of Virtue
- Virtue is a state of character, not a passion or faculty.
- A virtue makes both a person and their actions good, similar to how an eye's excellence results in good sight.
- To be virtuous is to do well the things unique to humans—primarily rational activity.
Applying the Golden Mean
- Good actions involve feeling emotions (like fear, anger) at the right times, to the right degree, and for the right reasons.
- People at extremes often mislabel those at the mean (e.g., cowards call the brave rash).
- Some extremes are more opposed to virtue than others (e.g., self-indulgence is more opposed to temperance than insensibility).
Developing Virtue
- To correct a personal vice, act toward the opposite extreme to find the mean (e.g., the coward should act more boldly).
- Becoming virtuous is like straightening a bent stick—move past the mean to reach it.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Virtue — a stable state of character that enables a person to act well.
- Moral Virtue — virtues relating to character, developed by habit (e.g., courage, temperance).
- Intellectual Virtue — virtues relating to reasoning and knowledge.
- Golden Mean — the desirable middle between excess and deficiency in emotions or actions.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review Book II of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics for examples of virtues and the golden mean.
- Reflect on personal habits and identify areas to practice virtue through habitual actions.