Aristotle On Virtue Essay, Research Paper

Aristotle & # 8217 ; s Positions on Virtue

Aristotle explains virtuousness by first explicating what things are found in the psyche. He says that the psyche has three things-passions, modules, and provinces of character, and virtuousness must be one of these. Passions are things such as choler, fright, yearning, and joy. Faculties are the act of going angry, frightened, etc. Finally, province of character is how we cope with those passions. An illustration of this can be made with the passion choler. A individual can either hold surplus or lack. This means that he can be a tyrant or inactive.

Aristotle so concludes that passion can non be virtue. He says this because we are non called good or bad based on our passions. We can non be blamed or praised for our passions, but we are blamed or praised for our frailties. This is explained merely by stating that passions are non reached by pick. Virtue has something to make with pick, or what is chosen. This leads into Aristotle explicating that modules can non be virtue every bit good. & # 8220 ; For we are neither called good nor bad, nor praised nor blamed, for the simple capacity of experiencing passions & # 8221 ;

This leaves merely provinces of characte

r. Aristotle concludes that this must be what virtuousness is. He says that to be virtuous, one needs to hold excellence, and the ability to make whatever he/she is making good. He explains this through the illustration of the oculus and a Equus caballus. The excellence of both makes the Equus caballus and the oculus good, every bit good as its work good. He so says that if this is true in every instance it must keep true for adult male every bit good. Aristotle explains that adult male and art are correspondent. You can non add any extra or lack. Humans and art already hold excellence. Whether or non they are in extra or lack from the start determines their virtuousness. In decision, Aristotle says that in order to be virtuous, one must be in the center of surplus or lack.

Aristotle says that the excellence of something makes it good, and able to work good. This can be applied to his four causes. The four causes are material, formal, efficient, and concluding. These four things are what go into doing something good. The stuff is the existent contents, formal is what signifier it will take, efficient is the agencies in how you do it, and in conclusion, the concluding is the intent of making it in the first topographic point. If all of this goes good, so the result will be excellence.