1 GRADE 0 1 2 PHIL 1313 ARISTOTLE S ETHICS 3 Reading Response NE 2 1 Nicomachean Ethics II 1 9 Full Name McKayla Bobbitt Section 10 PART I READING QUESTIONS 1 What does Aristotle mean when he says the virtues come to be present exists neither by nature nor contrary to its nature and how does this point relate to his discussion of taking on virtues by first being at work in them Aristotle begins by stating that there are two types of virtue Moral and Intellectual When Aristotle makes the claim that a certain virtue is formed by nature but is not implanted by nature 1103a15 it is because things of which are created by nature cannot be changed by habit We are by nature equipped with the ability to receive them and habit brings this ability to completion and fulfillment 1103a20 1103a25 But in order to put these virtues to work we must first possess them We acquire by first having put them into action 1103a30 here Aristotle is showing how basically motivation is what gets you started but habit is what keeps you going 2 Why does Aristotle maintain that things such as virtues are of such a nature as to be destroyed by deficiency and by excess OXFORD it is the nature of things to be destroyed by defect and excess How does he argue for this claim For Aristotle he is trying to convey the concept that in order for one to know whether they are good or bad at something they must first try it He understands that a person cannot just know they can or cannot do something until they have actually tried to perform that task and the same follows for virtue A man does not know what he would do in the situation that he is a gun point until he is actually put in the situation he can certainly pronounce what he hopes he would do but adrenaline can cause us to do some pretty crazy things In our transactions with other men it is by action that some become just and others unjust and it is by acting in the face of danger that some become brave men and other cowards 1103b15 3 Why does Aristotle think that one must consider pain and pleasure when contemplating virtue Aristotle believes that Plato was right in saying men should bring up their children to feel pain and pleasure at the proper things Virtue directly relates to pleasure and pain in that virtue has to do with a person s actions and emotions and pleasure and pain are a consequence of every emotion and of every action 1104b15 And therefore because virtue connects with both pleasure and pain it makes us act in the best way possible Aristotle illustrates the connection between virtue and the feelings by stating three factors that determine choice and three factors that determine avoidance the noble the beneficial and the pleasurable and on the other their opposites the base the harmful and the painful 1104b30 4 What is the relationship between choice and virtue according to Aristotle 2 Virtues and vices are not feelings They are not acquired without deliberate choice Neither are they powers because we possess powers by nature Virtues are habits Pleasure accompanies choice one must choose to be noble Even in our actions we use pleasure and pain as a criterion 1105a Aristotle is showing here that we use the possible outcomes of pleasure or pain to help us choose our actions and our choices ultimately reflect our virtue 5 Why does Aristotle claim that the mean in relation to us is what neither goes too far nor falls short and this is not one thing nor the same thing for everyone OXFORD by the intermediate relative to us that which is neither too much nor too little and this is not one nor the same for all There are important differences among the dispositions Aristotle calls virtues of course but each virtue involves the observance of a mean between extremes One extreme consists in some sort of excess another in some sort of deficiency though this way of talking can mislead Our task in trying to be good is to find these means and avoid these opposed extremes For instance if ten are many and two few we take the mean of the thing if we take six since it exceeds and is exceeded by the same amount 1106b30 What virtue or excellence demands is not a fixed and determinate act or emotional response on a particular occasion but that our acts and emotions fall within a certain more or less precisely delineated range 6 What according to Aristotle is the relationship between feelings actions virtue the mean intermediate and the good While to have these feelings at the right time on the right occasion toward the right people for the right purpose and in the right manner is to feel the best amount of them which is the mean amount and the best amount is of course the mark of excellence Likewise in acts there can be excess deficiency and a mean Hence excellence is a mean state in the sense that it aims at the mean 1106b20 Basically here Aristotle is showing the connection between the mean our feelings the way we act on them according to our virtue and the good that may result from this A person s actions and emotions are a result of their virtue Aristotle s views on virtue are bound up with the doctrine of the mean according to which every virtue of character lies between two correlative faults or vices 7 Why does Aristotle maintain that one ought to take the least of the evils How would this lead us toward virtue This phrase has been transformed to modern terms as choosing the lesser of two evils The meaning of this phrase is that although your choices are all bad you choose the one which appears to be less evil It s typically the choice with less consequences And by recognizing these evils we are building our virtue Ultimately leading up to us drawing ourselves away in the opposite direction for by pulling away from the error we shall reach the middle 1109b By doing as Aristotle says and pulling away from the wrongs we are building our virtue and character we are training ourselves to resist temptations 3 PART II CRITICAL RESPONSE A Type out in its entirety a passage from the reading that you find significant or interesting i e one that you think merits further in class discussion To the mean in some cases the deficiency in some the excess is more opposed e g it is not rashness which is an excess but cowardice which is a deficiency that is more opposed to courage and not insensibility which is a deficiency but self indulgence which is an excess that is more opposed to temperance This happens from two reasons one being drawn from the thing itself for because one