Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle - Essay Example

It is not possible to claim that one is right in doing such things in a certain way e.g. committing adultery at the right time and with the right woman. He argues that for such cowardly and unjust actions, there is no mean because what is seen to be intermediate is in fact extreme. When such actions are done, they are wrong.

The reasons given by Aristotle clearly support the thesis. He shows that the choice of an action lying between good and bad is itself a bad action since it is not possible to do a bad thing in the right way. What is seen to be an intermediate or midpoint is itself a bad choice. The reasons given are plausible because the fact that a bad action is being undertaken, remains to be bad regardless of where and how such actions are committed. For instance, there is no way of a good way of being a murderer or adulterous. In real life, this passage plays an important in real life since it emphasizes the importance of choosing the right action when faced with the choices of bad and evil. For example, the mid-point between non-murder and murder is not the right choice. The right choice, in this case, is a non-murder. Therefore, there is no good deed that lies between bad and good. It will remain to be bad.