For Aristotle and his followers, virtue is not a simple term connected to positive levels of morality in a human being. In Aristotelian ethics, virtue is known as a “Golden Mean,” “the intermediate position between two extremes or vices” (Lawhead, 2014, p. 89). The philosopher does not provide a concrete definition in his Virtue Theory. For him, it is an intuitive quality one acquires over time of observing virtuous deeds and learning from them. Additionally, he proposes that since there is no pre-existent way of behavior style one can adopt to be virtuous, virtuous deeds will present themselves under completely different actions in every situation – and the virtuous person will recognize them immediately. Furthermore, he expounds, “for an action to be a genuine choice and thus capable of moral praise or blame, the action must be voluntary” (Lawhead, 2014, p. 89). Therefore, there are many aspects to the concept of virtue according to Aristotle, and his not providing a fixed answer exemplifies him as an outstandingly careful and mindful philosopher and an observer of natural phenomena.
As I am already a parent, it is of uttermost importance to be able to distill virtuous ideals and teach them to my child. Training in becoming fulfilling a human potential to the fullest can be lasting a lifetime; however, it is imperative to establish a vector for this training during adolescence. Personally, I consider art to be an impeccable tool for nurturing not only a sense of beauty in an individual but for teaching universal truths of righteousness and human nature. Aristotle himself stated that “the task of art is to make profound truths about life stick in our minds” (The School of Life, 4:47). It does that by presenting a viewer with life-like situations, which trains the child to recognize them instantly and apply them to prior experience. Thus, I try to expose my child to various forms of art as much as possible: literature, painting, music, and theatrical performance –hoping that priceless cultural heritage acquired over the centuries will affect their character favorably and carve out of them a virtuous, fulfilled human being.
References
Lawhead, W. F. (2014). Cengage Advantage Series: Voyage of Discovery: A Historical Introduction to Philosophy. VitalSource Bookshelf. Web.
The School of Life. (2014). Philosophy – Aristotle. YouTube. Web.