ed for a variety of reasons, some being charitable, while others are for personal profit. By utilizing telemarketing, the individuals doing the calling, and the companies or charities that they represent, are ultimately the ones who benefit. However, telemarketing is extremely intrusive into people's homes, and telemarketers are notorious for calling at inconvenient times. Since there are advantages and disadvantages for both parties, telemarketing has become a topic of discussion amongst ethical scholars.
             By applying the theories of various philosophers and scholars, telemarketing can be viewed as either ethical or unethical. When Aristotle's Golden Mean philosophy is applied to the issue, the practice is indeed construed as unethical. According to Aristotle, happiness is the best way one can reach his highest good. This happiness cannot exist unless it is synchronized with virtue (Leslie 44). Aristotle goes on to define virtue as "a state of character involving a capacity of choice consisting in a mean relative to us, which is determined by reason" (ibid). The key term in his definition is mean; it is necessary to find a balance, as he believes that extremes, on either end of the spectrum, are unfavorable (Leslie 45). Therefore the most favorable of issues would be located near the middle of the spectrum, and would thus be considered the Golden Mean.
             Telemarketing can certainly be considered an extreme of sorts. On the marketing spectrum, the lower extreme would be a company having no advertisements whatsoever. The upper extreme of this spectrum is what many Americans endure today: having advertisements intrude into their homes, through telemarketing, without their approval beforehand. Although it may be difficult for companies and individuals to agree on a mean, it is evident that the current intrusion into the home is far from the midpoint on the marketing spectrum, and is therefore considered u...