In this paper, I will first explain the key features of Aristotelian virtues. Then I will give an Aristotelian analysis of enthusiasm and trust as two personal virtues in our time and place.
According to Aristotle, virtue, or, specifically a virtue of character, is a state, a disposition of a person to have appropriate feelings and actions “in relation to the right person, in the right amount, at the right time, with the right aim in view, and in the right way.” It is the disposition to hit 1) a golden mean between two extremes, that is, a condition intermediate between excess and deficiency. Both extremes are vices and only the middle point is desirable and thus virtuous.
Because the mean where the virtuous act lies is dependent on each case …show more content…
For instance, there is no general rule for a little boy who is interested in running, drawing and other extracurricular activities to feel and act with proper enthusiasm for each activity every day. Depending on his ability and physical condition on a particular day, it may be fine for him to be so enthusiastic in drawing that he draws 6-hours to improve his skills, but the same amount of enthusiasm can be too high for running because running 6-hours a day hurts his health and leads to worse performance. Rather, by practicing and habituating oneself to feeling and acting with the amount of enthusiasm suitable to each situation, a person becomes more disposed to feel properly enthusiastic. By habituating himself to the right amount of enthusiasm for each activity each day so that he can become better at it without compromising his performance, the little boy becomes enthusiastic to the right degree. Because the state of enthusiasm takes practice and habituation, it fits with Aristotelian analysis of virtue.
To first know how to feel and act with proper enthusiasm, a person can look at the figures who are good at things that he does and learn about the amount of enthusiasm suitable to each occasion. For instance, the little boy who runs can look at the most respectable and virtuous runner that he knows in order to find the right degree of enthusiasm for …show more content…
As we exercise trust, we develop the disposition to when, what, and how much to believe in what people say given the circumstances. There are lots of situations where we need to judge the right amount of trust. We cannot simply follow a set of rules. When making a purchase, a child cannot always believe in the salespersons’ claims about the quality of the product in the same way, but he acquires the disposition to know how much to believe in different salespersons’ claims by exercising his trust in different situations. When one practices and becomes more habituated to hitting the proper degree of trust, one becomes more trusting and thus better able to experience the right amount of trust and choose the right actions effortlessly. When the child becomes habituated to assess the salespersons’ claims and give the right amount of trust, he becomes more trusting. Therefore, one needs to continuously practice, train and habituate oneself to the proper state of trust so that one can have the right amount of trust in the right things effortlessly, and this characteristic of trust is a feature of Aristotelian
According to Aristotle, virtue, or, specifically a virtue of character, is a state, a disposition of a person to have appropriate feelings and actions “in relation to the right person, in the right amount, at the right time, with the right aim in view, and in the right way.” It is the disposition to hit 1) a golden mean between two extremes, that is, a condition intermediate between excess and deficiency. Both extremes are vices and only the middle point is desirable and thus virtuous.
Because the mean where the virtuous act lies is dependent on each case …show more content…
For instance, there is no general rule for a little boy who is interested in running, drawing and other extracurricular activities to feel and act with proper enthusiasm for each activity every day. Depending on his ability and physical condition on a particular day, it may be fine for him to be so enthusiastic in drawing that he draws 6-hours to improve his skills, but the same amount of enthusiasm can be too high for running because running 6-hours a day hurts his health and leads to worse performance. Rather, by practicing and habituating oneself to feeling and acting with the amount of enthusiasm suitable to each situation, a person becomes more disposed to feel properly enthusiastic. By habituating himself to the right amount of enthusiasm for each activity each day so that he can become better at it without compromising his performance, the little boy becomes enthusiastic to the right degree. Because the state of enthusiasm takes practice and habituation, it fits with Aristotelian analysis of virtue.
To first know how to feel and act with proper enthusiasm, a person can look at the figures who are good at things that he does and learn about the amount of enthusiasm suitable to each occasion. For instance, the little boy who runs can look at the most respectable and virtuous runner that he knows in order to find the right degree of enthusiasm for …show more content…
As we exercise trust, we develop the disposition to when, what, and how much to believe in what people say given the circumstances. There are lots of situations where we need to judge the right amount of trust. We cannot simply follow a set of rules. When making a purchase, a child cannot always believe in the salespersons’ claims about the quality of the product in the same way, but he acquires the disposition to know how much to believe in different salespersons’ claims by exercising his trust in different situations. When one practices and becomes more habituated to hitting the proper degree of trust, one becomes more trusting and thus better able to experience the right amount of trust and choose the right actions effortlessly. When the child becomes habituated to assess the salespersons’ claims and give the right amount of trust, he becomes more trusting. Therefore, one needs to continuously practice, train and habituate oneself to the proper state of trust so that one can have the right amount of trust in the right things effortlessly, and this characteristic of trust is a feature of Aristotelian