The Doctrine Of The Me Underpin Aristotle 's Account Of Citizen Virtue?

Socrates believes every city and person has virtues within them, and it is the proper balance of the virtues that results in justice. The virtues of a city, Socrates mentions are, wisdom, courage, temperance and justice. He claims justice is the balance of all three virtues with everybody playing their proper role in society. The first virtue he examines is wisdom. Wisdom, Socrates say’s resides in the smallest class, the Rulers, because they posses the knowledge, “…which takes measures, not in behalf of anything in the city, but in behalf of the city as a whole…”(Republic, 428d). The next virtue Socrates examines is, courage which he defines as the knowledge of what to fear. Courage he explains lies with the auxiliaries because they must

Next, I will show the 4 kinds of persons that Aristotle believes exist, they’re the virtuous, strong-willed, vicious, and weak-willed persons. The first person is the virtuous person, Aristotle believes that a virtuous person is a person that behaves in a highly well-mannered way. A virtuous person knows how to act as a mean within the deficiency (too little) and excess (too much). “Hence virtue is a sort of medial condition because it is able to aim at and hit the mean.” (2.6 1106b27-1106b28) The virtuous person often does things through habit and continuous practice rather than having someone teach them because it can’t be taught. “From this, it is also clear that none of the virtues of character comes about in you naturally, since nothing natural can be habituated to be otherwise.” (2.1 1103a18-1103a19) Virtuous persons don’t let things overcome who they truly are, meaning their attitudes are at an even level when it comes to pleasures and pains. Virtuous persons can’t let things get the best of them, which is why the mean is so important because it gives balance and clear judgement.

Aristotle was a premier Greek philosopher who had some very interesting concepts on ethics, which are collectively called the Nicomachean Ethics. His collection of work has led to the development of many theories on the basis for human existence. The main question by Aristotle’s series of lectures is the bane of human existence. According to Aristotle, humans seek happiness (4). If anything promises happiness, then human will go in the direction it leads. Aristotle was also just as interested in other areas such as virtue. His opinion of human ethical action is based on the rationality of human beings. Being rational beings, human beings will always assess situations before making decisions. Virtue is not only a predisposition found in

Justice is a concept institutionalized by society, where individuals entrust their basic rights to be upheld by the state. Together, members share social responsibility, actively pursuing a sense of communal virtue. The fruition of their cooperation brings about conditions where it is easiest for individuals to freely improve the wealth of the public. Using the texts The Trial and Death of Socrates by Plato, Antigone by Sophocles, and Confessions by Saint Augustine, this essay will explore the complex relationship between the individual and society in Greco-Roman culture. It will argue from a classical standpoint that justice is defined as aligning the moral beliefs of individuals with what is in the best interest of the common good.

For Aristotle virtue is a sort of sweet spot in the middle of two extremes, or vices, which were deficiency and excess. The sweet spot in the middle is what Aristotle referred to as the golden mean. For example, if we were to look at one of the eleven virtues Aristotle focused on, courage, one can see that a deficiency of courage would be cowardice and an excess of courage would result in someone being reckless or impulsive. To understand virtue Aristotle says,

Aristotle discusses two interpretations of justice in Book V of his Nicomachean Ethics. He concludes that justice is either broad or narrow in sense - it is either lawfulness or equality. In the broader sense, a good citizen will obey the law because it is just.

For Aristotle the mean was a method of achieving virtue, but for Buddha the ...

Aristotle begins his books by stating “EVERY art and every inquiry, and similarly, every action and pursuit is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim.” (Aristotle, Chap.1). His focus is that as people we are inherently seeking good. This does not mean that our actions do not have consequences, but rather that seeking good is innate, and it is just something that if we can let flourish, will allow us to be better individuals or a virtuous person.

The idea of a “mean” plays an important role in Aristotle’s definition of virtue. As I explained above, a state of disposition, genus of virtue, serves as a mean among the extremes of vices.

According to Aristotle, the mean is the “equal to” part, in between “greater than” and “less than”. A more context definition would be having enough so that you would not be either “excessive or deficient”. Each person have a different “mean” according to his/her standard. Aristotle gives us an example in his writing piece that ten pounds of food maybe enough for an athlete, but it would be too much for a trainer. As a knowledge person, you would be able to identify what is enough for you and choose the mean of it; a mean that personally related to you, not a mean of something. It is a guide to good living because it’s what guide your virtue, your character, your moral standard. If you can balance out your feelings and actions and not have

Aristotle gave two ways virtue can be obtained, the ways in which humans acquire virtue. “Virtue of thought and character.” Mostly virtue is obtained from habit, “virtue of character” which is ethical. It can be through moral principles, knowledge, or socially, which completes us as humans. It becomes a habit, when see the habit every day or been taught about it, from a young age. We work towards this behavior and act upon that virtue as a lifestyle. “Virtue by contrast, we acquire, just as we acquire crafts, by having first activated them” (285). Just like the phrase “practice makes perfect,” it is a virtue if we keep on to it, doing the same thing over again and believing in that which brings happiness.

In addition to the quantity of virtuous actions, the motivation for acting virtuously is also significant. For Aristotle argue that “the just things are pleasant to the lover of justice, and in general, things in accord with

Aristotle argues that in order to achieve happiness one must be virtuous, but being virtuous does guarantee that one will achieve a happy life. According to Aristotle, happiness is the highest obtainable end goal of anyone’s existence. To achieve this goal, one must fulfill his responsibilities completely. In contrast to the state of being of happiness, virtues are described as, “states of character” (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, p.957). These states of character are described as somewhere in between the vices of excess and total lack of some quality. Virtue is required to achieve happiness because having virtue is the only way to have one’s obligations fulfilled. If one doesn’t apply his virtue to his duties though, it’s essentially the

“Aristotle and the Ethics of Virtue and Character” explains the “theories” that make up a moral situation. First, we have expectations for the outcome of a moral situation to be utilitarian or sometimes produce another desirable result. We also have restraints that govern the actions we make to produce those outcomes. Last, certain character traits define who is prepared to perform the necessary actions and be content with the results. Aristotle’s “The Moral Virtues” explains how the mean of an excess and a deficit is the virtue. It is nearly impossible to act perfectly within the mean, which is why Aristotle recommends that one keep away from the extreme that is more opposed to the mean, be wary of pleasant things, and notice the direction (toward excess or deficit) toward which one, personally, will tend. Finally, in “Habit and Virtue,” Aristotle defines virtue as a result of habituation. Character is developed through the repetition of activities, and therefore the aim of the

This contradiction can perhaps be resolved within Aristotle’s analysis of justice in Book V. Here he makes evident that justice as a virtue is inherently intertwined with law-abidingness, so much so that he calls lawfulness “complete virtue” (1129b28). Yet, Aristotle also provides an extensive critique of laws. Giorgi Areshidze examines this critique in his essay, “Aristotle’s Critique of Justice, the Rule of Law and the Common Good in Book V of the Nicomachean Ethics.” According to Areshidze, “laws are deficient because they are expressed as universals and therefore are likely to fail to secure justice in particular cases (1137b13), and above all because at the core of laws rest deeply flawed assumptions about human beings: laws require penalties because they assume that the lawbreaker gets away with too much good, and must therefore be subjected to punishment through which “the judge tries to take away his gain and restore the equilibrium” (1132a8).” As a result of this assumption, Areshidze states, “all