Aristotle has provided humanity with a great number of philosophical concepts that are meant to contain a full description of human nature and exact guidelines that lead to harmony in a person’s mind and soul. The idea that a person is free to choose whether or not he/she wants to enhance the virtues that have been granted to him/her by nature is complex. A comprehensive understanding of the “mean” is needed to fully recognize the importance of such an approach as one of the ideas that shaped Western civilization.
According to Aristotle, the virtue of character represents the final outcome of following the right habits. In order to be a truly virtuous person, one should seek to acquire knowledge provided by teachers and then act accordingly, systematically opting for the “mean”. Moreover, a person’s actions should meet a set number of criteria listed by Aristotle. According to the great philosopher, a person’s actions should be done knowingly, chosen for their own sakes and according to a stable disposition (Aristotle, 2014). Virtues can be generally divided into two major categories: moral virtues and intellectual virtues. Examples of moral virtues include temperance, liberality, and courage. Wisdom and understanding can be considered vital intellectual virtues.
According to Aristotle, moral behavior is centered around finding the mean between two extremes with excess at one end and deficiency at the other. Moreover, the philosopher believed that the mean of a thing is equally distant from either extreme, which always stays the same, while the mean relative to humans is not the same for everyone. Thus, Aristotle created a great framework that can be filled by a constant search for the golden mean that provides people with the opportunity to become virtuous.
Reference
Aristotle. (2014). Nicomachean ethics. (C. D. C. Reeve Trans). Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing.