Virtue reading and reflection questions

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University of Mary *

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Philosophy

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Oct 30, 2023

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REFLECTION QUESTIONS 1. What was the most important thing that you learned from our previous class session? Why do you find this important? The most important thing I learned was the application of education not only for the betterment of our intellect but knowing that an improved education will also help our formation of good habits which will lead to a more virtuous life overall. 2. What is one question you have that stems from the previous class session or reading? While reading on incontinence, it made me wonder, because at first, I viewed it as a net negative. Now having given it more thought it made me curious, without it, would that rob us of our free will? Because although incontinence can lead to vices, without it, we are either completely virtuous beings or completely vice filled beings. READING QUESTIONS 1. According to Aristotle, there are three parts of the soul, the nutritive, appetitive (irrational), and reasoning (rational). 2. What is the difference between virtue (what Aristotle calls being brave and temperate), self- control, and incontinence (start with the latter two)? If vice is the opposite of virtue, what might it be? Fill in the chart. (Book 1, chapter 13) State of soul State of reason State of appetite What is the result? Virtue Accordance with right reason right Eudaimonia Self-control Conflict with strong appetite moderation Incontinence (weakness of will) Accordance with wrong appetite Lack of control Vice Wrong reason Accordance with wrong appetite Unhealthy or immoral outcomes 3. Intellectual virtue is acquired through education and experience. Character/moral virtue, however, is acquired through habituation and the slow formation of virtuous habits. 4. Aristotle is hoping his students and anyone who reads the book can acquire theoretical understanding of good and what it means to live a good life. In teaching this, Aristotle also hopes that the readers and his students apply what he teaches and helps form the activity of their souls. 5. Aristotle states that excess and deficiency destroy virtue. In the example of excellent strength or health, the two sides are as noted; excessive training and stress on the body can be a detriment to one's health just as lack of exercise can also harm the body.

6. Based on the person’s response to an act whether it is pain or pleasure shows what habits that person might have. For example, if two people go for a two-mile run and one returns bent over in pain and the other returns with a steady breath and a light sweat, we can infer that the one who is in pain has not developed a regular habit of exercise, whereas the other person clearly exercises habitually. 7. The puzzle relates to two people, a person committing an unjust act and another who is affected unjustly by the act. The puzzle is asking who in the situation is more unjust. The solution is the person who commits the act is more unjust because in the doing of the act, we see their character based off of their habituation. 8. According to Aristotle, virtue is a state of character. He differentiates it from feeling because feeling is fleeting, and he proves it is not a capacity because capacity is a general ability. A state of character is neither fleeting nor a general ability as it takes a conscious effort to be virtuous. 9. Numeric mean is standard across all scales. The mean of 1 and 4 is 2.5 and it will always be 2.5. The mean relative to an individual person is always different. In the case of how much food is healthy for a person, this is very different even from men to women. There even more drastic differences between a small child and a 22-year-old man. 10. Aristotle defines character/moral virtue as “a state of character concerned with choice, lying in a mean relative to us, this being determined by a rational principle, and by that principle by which the man of practical wisdom would determine it.” 11. Virtue is about not only avoiding the bad things, but consciously seeking out resolve and searching for the good. 12. Aristotle believed that habits formed through education and learning not only help us learn, but also help us completely change our desires and feelings. Education is not simply aimed at improving intellect. What use is intellect if it not applied? Even today this is seen with addicts for example, if they are put on the right path and focus on educating themselves in habituation, they start to replace the bad habits with good ones leading to changes in desire. 13. Aristotle concludes that acquiring excellent character/moral habits is not easy and that it takes a lot of effort and patience. 14. Aristotle suggested that we should avoid excesses and extremes. Especially when it comes to pleasure, overindulging can lead to excessive actions. By maintaining balance, we will be able to achieve the means.

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