- Defined as happiness, living well flourishing.
- It is that thing which we desire for itself and not for any other end. It is intrinsic.It requires a proper balance* or sufficient quantity of four things: Honor (having friends), Fortune, Pleasure and Virtue. These things are instrumental, extrinsic. They are “good for somethings.” The well lived life has the appropriate balance, the right proportion.
Now, pay attention, because Aristotle’s definition of happiness is very different from that of Mill or Kant.
* This is a fundamental idea in Aristotelean Ethics.
Health, wealth, and other such resources—are sought because they promote well-being, not because they are what well-being consists in.
Virtue is also intrinsic. “Luck loves virtue.” These elements may be due in a good part to luck but are also closely tied to proper outcomes of consistently virtuous action.
i.e. Cheating customers provided instant gratification, whereas positive experience over a course of time leads to more success.
It gets harsh, but:
- These elements are necessary only because “someone who is friendless, childless, powerless, weak, and ugly will simply not be able to find many opportunities for virtuous activity over a long period of time, and what little he can accomplish will not be of great merit.”
Virtue:
1. Acting with excellence
2. An activity of the rational part of the soul
3. Reason excellently applied
4. The means between the extremes
Two kinds of virtues:
- Practical or Moral – “the result of habit or custom”
- Intellectual – which “owes its birth and growth mainly to instruction and so requires time and experience.”
Sophia (σoφíα) – Wisdom - a combination of nous (the intellect) and episteme (knowledge). Allows one to know what qualities of the character are best.
Phronēsis (φρόνησις) – Practical Judgment – Required for judging things according to the aim of living well overall. Allows one to apply a given quality of activity in any given context.
The Golden Mean
- The Golden Mean – not an arithmetic mean but a relative mean – the proper application of a quality in a given context
- Virtue is defined as the mean between the vice of excess and the vice of deficiency – too much of a characteristic is as bad as too little
- Each of us must assess our abilities and have a good understanding of the situation or context of our moral decisions.
Vice of Excess: Foolhardiness, Unrestrained Giving, Drunkenness, Bragging, Vanity,
Virtue: Courage, Liberality, Temperance, Truthfulness, Pride
Vice of Deficiency: Cowardice, Stinginess, Abstinence, Mock Modesty, Humility
Is Aristotle’s doctrine of means the same as, “everything in moderation?” Can one be too virtuous?
NO!
- It is impossible to be too just – we can’t be too lawful or fair
-
It is impossible to be too courageous; as courage is just the right balance between rashness and cowardice – courage is hitting the mark just right
Please make note to use the terminology according to the philosopher. What you consider virtue may very well be a different thing than how Aristotle is using it – which is as a mean between the extremes.
i.e. Courage is not the absence of fear.
“For one swallow does not make a spring, nor does one day; and so too one day, or a short time, does not make a man blessed and happy.”
Virtues must become habituated – over time through repeated activity we become courageous. One act does not define the person, the character.
VIRTUE(S) ARE INTRINSICALLY GOOD, for its own sake, THOUGH THEY MAY PROVE INSTRUMENTAL.
Courage: Aristotle argued the highest kind of courage is exhibited in actions done for their own sake – a kind of beauty. One who is courageous may feel fear – as it is rational to do so, but they are able to balance that fear with a proper confidence
- PRIDE: The rational assessment of self worth in the context of the polis. It is not the same as arrogance (hubris) or vanityAristotle called it the “crowning virtue” as it is fundamental to the inculcation of all the other moral virtues.
Pride, as used by Aristotle, is necessary because of the importance individual value.
Can everyone be virtuous? Yes, but Aristotle does not hold that all minds are equal. i.e. The golden mean requires reason and let’s be honest, not everyone has the same level of rational skills. The same goes for athleticism.
We can all be virtuous, but not equally virtuous and certainly not in the same way. Aristotle still holds that we ought to be as virtuous as possible alllllllll the time.
Nietzsche: An Anti-Realist Attack on Morality
“Systems of Morals are only the sign language of the emotions.”
2 kinds of people => 2 kinds of morality
- Herd/Slaves: those whose value is defined “only as a function” of the community
- Übermensch: called “masters” or the “noble type of man” also, the superior man – those capable and willing to break from the herd in order to pursue truth.
Herd/Slaves: “Morality is the herd-instinct in the individual.”
Slave Morality –
- Driven by fear of exile from the herd – of not fitting in.
- Values are determined socially & collectively, based on tradition, practice and consensus
- Defined as the “morality of utility” – those values which are useful to maintaining order in the herd.
- Built around concepts of good and evil.
- Includes such values as ◦ Charity ◦ Patience ◦ Humility
- Driven by their passionate pursuit of their own truths and excellence.
- Indifferent to the opinion of the masses. THEY AREN’T RULERS, they just don’t give a shit.
- Powerful, feared, independent, “noble” but, viewed as despicable by herd.
Philopasta 