Aristotles Concept of Virtue - Assignment Example

03 May Final essay: Part A: Aristotle’s concept of virtue is one of the most frenetically explored and debated historical concepts in the world. It stands out and is alive even today because it has a lot of depth to it which is at once riveting and thought-provoking. The bedrock of this concept is formed by eudaimonia, which is described as a state of ultimate happiness or satisfaction. Eudaimonia can only be achieved if one seeks to think rationally and behave conscientiously. People live dissatisfied lives because they concentrate more on their vices and less on their virtues. A person is unholy without virtue and “very far from being happy” (Curren 112). An important thing worth mentioning here is that excessive focus should not be laid on the meaning of virtue, rather efforts should be wisely invested in exploring how virtues can be used to become a more productive person (Sheffield and Warren 354). General consensus is that any activity which promotes personality development and general wellbeing can be labeled virtuous. Aristotle introduced the doctrine of the mean to help others distinguish virtuous states of characters from vices. According to this doctrine, only that state which lies at the mean between two extremes, excess and deficiency, should be considered a virtue. This doctrine helps to separate virtuous states of character from vicious ones. For example, lustfulness and frigidity are two extremes and hence, vicious states of character. They are not virtues, rather virtue is modest sexual desire which lies at the mean between these two extremes. People have innate disposition in varying amounts to calculate their actions in context of pleasure and pain. This is because virtue is associated with passions and every passion is followed by pleasure or pain. So, virtue is also concerned with feelings of pleasure and pain. By using the virtue of rational thinking, people control or design their passions and appetites in accordance with the markers of pleasure and pain. Moral virtues translate into disposition to behave morally which varies from person to person. If a person knows well how to act rationally even in the most depressing times, then he/she is virtuous because rationality is the distinctive quality of a person. This shows that virtue and vice are controllable and in the power of people. They can be controlled by choosing to act responsibly and remaining cautious about consequences. When a person loses control over practical wisdom and becomes overwhelmed by arduous pressures in life, virtue and vice become impossible to control. Bu, virtue alone is not enough because research claims that eudaimonia is not possible “without some measure of external goods” (Sheffield and Warren 355). Part B: Virtuous activity alone is not sufficient for eudaimonia because goods others than virtues also hold importance. Aristotle has attached great importance to external goods in the process of pursuing happiness or engaging in virtuous activities. These external goods in the form of strong family network, supportive friends, wealth, and power enable a person to find happiness and act virtuously. According to Aristotle, they are “core parts of the happy life” (Sheffield and Warren 354). For example, a person who lacks family where he/she is desired by others and taken care of finds it very difficult to stay positive in life. To cap the matters, if there are also no friends or a social network, then it can get quite common for that person to stay melancholic and depressed all the time. That person very soon becomes so entangled in the darkness brought on by absence of external goods that it gets virtually impossible for him/her to engage in virtuous activities. Friendship is clearly the greatest external good of all other external goods mentioned before. This is because with friends, a person can be who he/she really is without caring too much about the consequences. Good friends make it easier for a person to laugh effortlessly and forget unimportant things. Even a good family cannot reach out to a person’s heart the way loyal friends can because there is often a higher level of mental understanding in the latter relationship. When one is surrounded by encouraging friends, one develops a stronger tendency to act virtuously and control vicious states of character because there is a positive state of mind. This does not mean that virtue is any less important. In fact, it is the basic element upon which the entire building of happiness is constructed. But, friends are also critically valuable as they promote the possibility of a fulfilled life for a virtuous person. Part C: Aristotle’s account of human wellbeing is very different from the concept of happiness or wellbeing offered by Socrates. Eudaimonia is a state of fulfillment and general happiness. While both Aristotle and Socrates agree on the significance of virtue and its exercise to experience eudaimonia, but both differ on account of value of external goods. For Aristotle, absence of external goods translates into unhappiness even if a person has innate disposition to be virtuous. This absence cripples the ability to act rationally and exercise virtues. External goods mean an extra measure which translate into more happiness (Cooper 192). In contrast, Socrates does not attach any importance to external goods claiming that it is virtue of character alone which suffices for eudaimonia. Here, the importance of family, friends, money, and recognition is completely disregarded and emphasis is concentrated on virtue alone. According to Socrates, virtue all by itself is the core element of happiness or human wellbeing. If a person has a disposition to act virtuously and control his/her vices, he/she will always strive to participate in virtuous activities even if he/she prefers to stay alone and is financially or socially disadvantaged. Socrates’s approach to eudaimonia is based on this idea that virtues of mind and soul like courage and wisdom guarantee a happy life. Eudaimonia does not depend on availability of external goods. In fact, external goods should not be mentioned when talking about eudaimonia because then people get sidetracked and instead of pursuing and polishing virtue, they start pursuing wealth and honor more energetically. This way, energies are wasted in the wrong area and virtue is neglected. In short, both Aristotle and Socrates agree that virtue is the most valuable good, but both hold contrasting views on the value of external goods. Part D: In the light of the above discussion, I deduce that virtue and its exercise play the central role in maximizing happiness and living a fulfilled life. In addition to these virtues of mind and soul, external goods in the form of supportive friends, encouraging family, good social position, and acknowledgment should be seen as valuable embellishments which certainly boost the state of eudaimonia and lend it stability (Curren 113). These external goods do not have the central value and they cannot take the place of virtue either. But, they bring to eudaimonia what color brings to a picture, the feature of vitality. Even if a person manages to act virtuously during good and bad phases of life as is assumed by Socrates, still he/she is very likely to lack vitality or energy in the absence of external goods. In accordance with Aristotle’s philosophy, I agree on the importance of both virtue and external goods with virtue being the highest good as described in research also (Cooper 193). Anscombe is a virtue ethics theorist and she also agrees on giving virtue a more central place in context of human wellbeing. MacIntyre is another great theorist who is a big advocate of ancient philosophical concepts which attach excessive importance to the root of eudaimonia. He agrees with the Aristotelian idea that virtue is the root of eudaimonia which should not be replaced with any other thing. In my own life, I believe that exercise of virtue certainly holds the central position in my mental and physical wellbeing. However, I would have been nowhere close to living a content life were it not for some unique embellishments in my personal life in the form of a very supportive friends and family group. Works cited: Cooper, John M. Pursuits of Wisdom: Six Ways of Life in Ancient Philosophy from Socrates to Plotinus. USA: Princeton University Press, 2012. Print. Curren, Randall R. Aristotle on the Necessity of Public Education. USA: Rowman & Littlefield, 2000. Print. Sheffield, Frisbee, and Warren, James. The Routledge Companion to Ancient Philosophy. Routledge, 2013. Print. Read More