Acting Virtuously, Becoming Virtuous
In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Book II, Chapter 4, Aristotle’s thesis is that by doing virtuous actions, a person becomes virtuous. Virtue consists of acts that allow an individual to flourish and a virtuous person possesses practical wisdom, as it is a part of their rational soul.
Aristotle makes an objection to his thesis by claiming that if someone acts virtuously he or she must already be virtuous. However, he makes this objection to further his thesis, since he is actually reasoning that a person does not have to be virtuous to act virtuously, which he then proceeds to support by presenting two key arguments that undermine his objection.
Aristotle presents his argument with an analogy of being …show more content…
If an individual possesses rational choice he is acting virtuously as it is the right thing to do and he knows his action is virtuous. A non-virtuous person can act virtuously, but if he does not realize that the act is virtuous, then he does not possess rational choice and is not a virtuous person. Likewise, an individual is not virtuous and does not have an unshakeable character if he is acting virtuously out of convenience and his intent is impure. An individual who acts out of rational choice and with an unshakeable character is not emulating someone else and does not have an ulterior motive. He is not trying to live up to or compete with someone who is virtuous. The virtuous individual acts virtuously knowingly and does so freely since he possesses knowledge, rational choice, and an unshakable character. A virtuous individual understands that he has to act virtuously and that by doing so he is finding a mean between two extremes. He does not try to act overly virtuous for the sake of being virtuous or get along in life by doing minimal virtuous actions, as then he would not be virtuous as all. A virtuous person knowingly intends to be virtuous at all
In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Book II, Chapter 4, Aristotle’s thesis is that by doing virtuous actions, a person becomes virtuous. Virtue consists of acts that allow an individual to flourish and a virtuous person possesses practical wisdom, as it is a part of their rational soul.
Aristotle makes an objection to his thesis by claiming that if someone acts virtuously he or she must already be virtuous. However, he makes this objection to further his thesis, since he is actually reasoning that a person does not have to be virtuous to act virtuously, which he then proceeds to support by presenting two key arguments that undermine his objection.
Aristotle presents his argument with an analogy of being …show more content…
If an individual possesses rational choice he is acting virtuously as it is the right thing to do and he knows his action is virtuous. A non-virtuous person can act virtuously, but if he does not realize that the act is virtuous, then he does not possess rational choice and is not a virtuous person. Likewise, an individual is not virtuous and does not have an unshakeable character if he is acting virtuously out of convenience and his intent is impure. An individual who acts out of rational choice and with an unshakeable character is not emulating someone else and does not have an ulterior motive. He is not trying to live up to or compete with someone who is virtuous. The virtuous individual acts virtuously knowingly and does so freely since he possesses knowledge, rational choice, and an unshakable character. A virtuous individual understands that he has to act virtuously and that by doing so he is finding a mean between two extremes. He does not try to act overly virtuous for the sake of being virtuous or get along in life by doing minimal virtuous actions, as then he would not be virtuous as all. A virtuous person knowingly intends to be virtuous at all