What makes a person truly virtuous in his actions? If you were walking to class one morning with your favorite, new, and expensive shoes with your beautiful crush standing alongside you, but suddenly you see a child drowning in a pond, would you save that child for the right reasons? Clearly it is right to save the child from drowning, but according to Aristotle, saving the child is not merely enough to make your action undoubtedly virtuous. For a person to be truly virtuous in his actions means that his intentions must be good as well, he must destroy his natural selfish tendencies, and practice moral characteristics throughout his life. I think that Aristotle focuses excessively on intentions and misses the importance of the action itself.
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It is not important to know exactly what virtue is, but it is important to be a moral, virtuous person. Aristotle`s first point in supporting his view is all about habituation. For an action to be virtuous, the action should correspond with the right reason. A person must perform good habits to be a good person. Aristotle uses the example of a person who eats a great amount of food and works hard will obtain strength (EN II, S8). He says that this is the same with virtues, one must create habits of doing the correct actions in all areas of life. Aristotle supports this by using the virtue of bravery: “It is similar with bravery; habituation in disdain for frightening situations and in standing firm against them makes us become brave, and once we have become brave we shall be most capable of standing firm” ( EN II, S9). The next claim Aristotle gives for supporting his ethical theory is that one must destroy his own natural tendencies to be a good person. Aristotle says that if one abstains from his immoral impulses and enjoys it, he is virtuous. He argues this by stating: “if he stands firm against terrifying situations and enjoys it, or at least does not find it painful, he is brave; if he finds it painful, he is cowardly” (EN II, …show more content…
Aristotle focuses entirely too much on the intent of a person`s actions when the action is what is most crucial to the situation. A good action is a good action, regardless of the reason. What is the point of doing the right action if one`s intentions are not virtuous? If a person has bad intentions, it does not make a good action any less good because that action will be seen among others as good. No one can ever know what a person`s actual motives are; therefore, no one can say someone is truly virtuous or not. It is possible to say someone is virtuous based on his actions because actions are shown. Motives are secrets unless told, but actions show consequences. Furthermore there are other good intentions to saving the drowning child besides simply doing so out of the goodness of one`s heart. It could be said that not wanting to destroy highly expensive shoes is a good intention. Those shoes are valuable and it would be wrong for them to be destroyed. Also it is not wrong for wanting to impress a crush. I think these intentions are not bad, a person could save his shoes, impress his crush, and ultimately save the child. I believe this person can be considered virtuous because he ultimately did the right action by saving the drowning child. People will always have different opinions on
It is not important to know exactly what virtue is, but it is important to be a moral, virtuous person. Aristotle`s first point in supporting his view is all about habituation. For an action to be virtuous, the action should correspond with the right reason. A person must perform good habits to be a good person. Aristotle uses the example of a person who eats a great amount of food and works hard will obtain strength (EN II, S8). He says that this is the same with virtues, one must create habits of doing the correct actions in all areas of life. Aristotle supports this by using the virtue of bravery: “It is similar with bravery; habituation in disdain for frightening situations and in standing firm against them makes us become brave, and once we have become brave we shall be most capable of standing firm” ( EN II, S9). The next claim Aristotle gives for supporting his ethical theory is that one must destroy his own natural tendencies to be a good person. Aristotle says that if one abstains from his immoral impulses and enjoys it, he is virtuous. He argues this by stating: “if he stands firm against terrifying situations and enjoys it, or at least does not find it painful, he is brave; if he finds it painful, he is cowardly” (EN II, …show more content…
Aristotle focuses entirely too much on the intent of a person`s actions when the action is what is most crucial to the situation. A good action is a good action, regardless of the reason. What is the point of doing the right action if one`s intentions are not virtuous? If a person has bad intentions, it does not make a good action any less good because that action will be seen among others as good. No one can ever know what a person`s actual motives are; therefore, no one can say someone is truly virtuous or not. It is possible to say someone is virtuous based on his actions because actions are shown. Motives are secrets unless told, but actions show consequences. Furthermore there are other good intentions to saving the drowning child besides simply doing so out of the goodness of one`s heart. It could be said that not wanting to destroy highly expensive shoes is a good intention. Those shoes are valuable and it would be wrong for them to be destroyed. Also it is not wrong for wanting to impress a crush. I think these intentions are not bad, a person could save his shoes, impress his crush, and ultimately save the child. I believe this person can be considered virtuous because he ultimately did the right action by saving the drowning child. People will always have different opinions on