Aristotle -Nicomachean Ethics
In Book II of Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle tries to define virtue through the concept of the mean, or intermediate point, where virtue lies somewhere between two extremes. Virtue is excellence, not mediocrity. The quarterback's virtue enables him to throw an excellent pass, although to do this he mustn't throw short of his wide receiver or overthrow the ball at any time, but hit the point in between. Similarly, although virtue is concerned with avoiding both excess and defect in feeling and action, so that "in respect of its essence and the definition of its essential nature virtue is a mean," nevertheless " in regard to goodness and excellence it is an extreme" (1107 a6). A virtuous person excels at stopping at just the right point. It is impossible to define the right point in abstract terms. If the extremes were definite and
"By the median of an entity I understand a point equidistant from both extremes, and this point is one and the same for everybody, but "by the median relative to us I understand an amount neither too large nor too small, and this is neither one nor the same for everybody" (1106 a28). For these reasons the mean cannot be defined in the abstract - one cannot tell another in general terms just exactly how much is enough. This, I feel is an important point that is not clearly covered by the conception of virtue as a mean between two extremes. Further, the right amount varies from one person to another because it is all relative. "There are many ways of going wrong. For example, excessive anger can be more or less excessive. the right point were exactly halfway between them, then it might be arrived at by means of logic. I feel that Aristotle perhaps overemphasizes the fact that moral virtue is concerned with achieving just the right amount of feeling or action. " However, it is not clear that in all of these aspects virtue can be represented as a mean, or perhaps some of them pertain to practical wisdom rather than to moral virtue. In 1106 b21, Aristotle states that, "to experience [fear, confidence, desire, anger, pity, and generally any kind of pleasure] at the right time, toward the right objects, towards the right people, for the right reason, and in the right manner - that is the median and the best course. Elsewhere (1105 a28-35) he says that an act does not come from moral virtue unless it is chosen for its own sake, not for an ulterior purpose such as avoiding punishment. It has other important aspects, which he mentions more briefly.
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