How To Develop A Virtuous Character - Aristotle (Aristotelianism)
Summary
TLDRThis video explores Aristotle's Virtue Ethics, emphasizing the importance of developing a virtuous character to achieve eudaimonia, or living well. Aristotle argues that virtues are learned through practice and reflection, and striking a balance between extremes is key. The video discusses moral and intellectual virtues, practical wisdom (phronesis), and philosophical contemplation as essential components of virtuous living. By consistently exercising virtue in daily actions, practicing practical wisdom, and engaging in mindful reflection, individuals can cultivate a virtuous character and flourish in life.
Takeaways
- 📚 Aristotle believed that living a virtuous life requires a daily exercise of reasoning, and cannot simply be chosen instantly.
- 🧠 Virtues, according to Aristotle, are developed through habits and practice, with intellectual virtues learned via education and moral virtues through repetition.
- 🎯 Aristotle's concept of 'eudaimonia' is about flourishing or living well by achieving virtue and acting according to reason.
- ⚖️ Virtue, in Aristotle's view, is a balance between two extremes, or the 'mean,' with virtues like courage or truthfulness being a midpoint between deficiency and excess.
- 💡 Practical wisdom (phronesis) is essential for making correct judgments and striking the mean between extremes, guiding moral virtues.
- ⏳ Aristotle emphasized that gaining phronesis requires experience, learning how to apply virtues like honesty in real-world situations.
- 💪 Aristotle taught that virtuous actions become easier through habit, likening moral development to practicing a musical instrument.
- 🧘 Reflection and philosophical contemplation are crucial in Aristotle’s ethics, allowing us to critically evaluate actions and develop our character.
- 🙏 Mindfulness practices, such as meditation and reflection, are ways to directly and indirectly cultivate practical wisdom and virtue in everyday life.
- 🔮 Aristotle believed that contemplation, a virtue even valued by the gods, is the highest form of happiness and key to achieving eudaimonia.
Q & A
What is Aristotle’s concept of eudaimonia?
-Eudaimonia, according to Aristotle, is often translated as ‘happiness,’ ‘flourishing,’ or ‘living well.’ It refers to achieving happiness through developing virtuous character and living to one's highest human potential.
How does Aristotle define virtues?
-Aristotle defines virtues as dispositions to choose good actions and passions, guided by moral knowledge. Virtues can be either intellectual, learned through instruction, or moral, developed by habits.
What is the relationship between virtue and practical wisdom in Aristotle's philosophy?
-According to Aristotle, virtue helps us aim at the right end, while practical wisdom, or phronesis, enables us to take the right means. Practical wisdom is essential for making informed moral decisions that align with virtue.
What is the 'mean between extremes' in Aristotle's virtue ethics?
-Aristotle's 'mean between extremes' refers to the idea that virtue lies between two vices: one of excess and one of deficiency. For example, courage is the mean between cowardice (deficiency) and rashness (excess).
How does Aristotle suggest we develop a virtuous character?
-Aristotle suggests that developing a virtuous character requires practice and habit. By repeatedly choosing virtuous actions in daily life, individuals cultivate the right dispositions over time.
What is phronesis, and why is it important in Aristotle's ethics?
-Phronesis, or practical wisdom, is the ability to judge the right course of action in specific situations. It is crucial because it guides moral virtues and helps individuals strike the mean between extremes in their actions.
How does Aristotle differentiate between intellectual and moral virtues?
-Intellectual virtues, like scientific knowledge (episteme) and practical wisdom (phronesis), are learned through education. Moral virtues, such as courage and temperance, are developed through habit and repeated practice.
What role does contemplation play in achieving eudaimonia?
-Aristotle believes that contemplation, especially philosophical reflection, is essential for achieving the highest form of eudaimonia. It allows individuals to constantly evaluate their thoughts, beliefs, and actions.
How does Aristotle compare human virtues to divine virtues?
-Aristotle argues that while human virtues like courage and justice are necessary for addressing practical concerns, the Gods would not need these virtues. Instead, the Gods engage in pure contemplation, which Aristotle sees as the highest virtue.
Why is practical experience important for developing phronesis?
-Practical experience is necessary for developing phronesis because it helps individuals learn how to apply virtues like honesty and courage in specific, real-life situations. Without experience, one cannot fully develop practical wisdom.
Outlines
📚 Aristotle's Influence on Virtuous Living
Aristotle, one of history’s most influential philosophers, defined a virtuous life as essential for flourishing. He emphasized that living optimally requires the daily exercise of reasoning and a gradual development of virtuous character. Aristotle, a student of Plato and tutor to notable figures like Alexander the Great, produced numerous treatises that covered topics like metaphysics, ethics, and political theory. His works, such as *Nicomachean Ethics* and *Politics*, remain relevant today. Central to his philosophy is the concept of *eudaimonia* (flourishing), achieved through virtuous living and exercising our human capacities.
🧠 Balancing Virtues: Striking the Mean
Aristotle’s theory of virtue ethics revolves around the idea of finding a balance between two extremes: excess and deficiency. Courage, for instance, is the mean between cowardice and rashness. Acting virtuously involves responding appropriately in situations, ensuring fears and confidences are balanced for the sake of nobility. Through practice and experience, one can develop a character that embodies virtues, such as truthfulness and friendliness, while avoiding vices like boastfulness or flattery. Aristotle encourages adopting a virtuous mindset to navigate life’s challenges by striking the right balance.
🦸 Practical Wisdom: The Path to Virtuous Action
Aristotle emphasizes that virtuous living is inseparable from practical wisdom (*phronesis*), which allows individuals to make judgments that help them find the mean between extremes. Acquiring practical wisdom is akin to learning a skill, requiring experience and practice. This wisdom enables people to understand when and how to act virtuously, considering context and balance. It’s essential for making decisions that reflect the right course of action, embodying the virtues that lead to a flourishing life. By honing *phronesis*, one can achieve eudaimonia and become the ideal *Phronimos*—a person of practical wisdom.
💡 The Role of Reflection in Virtuous Living
Philosophical contemplation and reflection are pivotal in developing virtuous character. Aristotle argues that happiness is closely linked to contemplation, and that by regularly reflecting on our actions, we learn from mistakes and improve our virtues. Reflection allows us to critically analyze our thoughts and behavior, making adjustments that align with virtuous living. By contemplating experiences—such as moments of anger or truthfulness—we better understand how to apply moral virtues appropriately, learning to strike the balance that leads to eudaimonia.
🧘 Living a Reflective and Virtuous Life
Aristotle concludes that true virtue cannot be attained without a significant degree of reflection and contemplation. Practicing awareness throughout daily life—evaluating choices, feelings, and consequences—enables one to refine moral virtues like truthfulness, courage, and temperance. Repeated contemplation helps prevent the same mistakes and brings insight into how humans can flourish. The practice of virtuous habits, combined with practical wisdom and philosophical reflection, leads to the development of a virtuous character and, ultimately, to living a life of eudaimonia—flourishing through the harmonious application of reason and virtue.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Virtue
💡Eudaimonia
💡Practical Wisdom (Phronesis)
💡Moral Virtues
💡Intellectual Virtues
💡Contemplation
💡Virtuous Character
💡The Mean Between Extremes
💡Habit
💡Phronimos
Highlights
Aristotle believed that a virtuous life is a process requiring daily exercise of reasoning.
Eudaimonia, or 'flourishing,' is achieved by developing a virtuous character and living to our highest human capacity.
Virtue, according to Aristotle, involves choosing good actions informed by moral knowledge.
Moral virtues are developed by habit, while intellectual virtues are learned through education.
Aristotle’s concept of striking a mean between extremes defines virtuous behavior.
Courage is a key example of balancing fears and confidence to act nobly and virtuously.
Practical wisdom (phronesis) helps individuals find the right balance in their actions and moral decisions.
Developing practical wisdom requires experience, social interaction, and reflection on life.
Mindfulness and daily awareness are recommended as practices to develop practical wisdom.
Philosophical contemplation, according to Aristotle, is essential for achieving true happiness.
Aristotle argues that contemplation is the most superior form of eudaimonia.
Meditation and self-reflection are ways to exercise awareness and develop virtuous character.
Practical wisdom allows us to critically evaluate situations and make virtuous decisions.
Aristotle emphasizes that to live well, we must continuously reflect on our choices and actions.
The combination of a virtuous mindset, practical wisdom, and contemplation leads to the development of virtuous character.
Transcripts
Aristotle is one of the most influential philosophers of all time and had a remarkable way of understanding
what it means to live well or flourish, and by extension, what it means to have a virtuous
character.
Aristotle believed that people can choose whether to live an optimal, the best, the
most favorable quality of life or sub-optimal life, a less than the highest standard of
quality of life.
However, we can’t just wake up one day and choose to live a good, virtuous life.
Becoming virtuous is a process and it requires us to exercise our capacity of reasoning on
a daily basis.
Aristotle is a Promethean figure in the history of the world, who lived between 384-322 B.C.E.
He was first a student of Plato, then, when Plato retired, he left the Academia which
Plato founded, and he became the tutor of Alexander The Great, and of two other future
kings: Ptolemy and Cassander.
He established a library in the Lyceum and produced over two hundred treatises, of which
only about thirty-one still exist.
His writing and reflections explored a wide range of disciplines; some of these include
accounts within areas of logic, metaphysics, philosophy of mind, ethics, and political
theory, among others.
Some of his surviving work like “treatises”, “Physics”, “Metaphysics”, “Nicomachean
Ethics”, “Politics”, “On the Soul'' and “Poetics” is relevant even today,
influenicing more than two millennia of scientists and theologians alike, both fascinated by
his ideas.
One of Aristotle’s concepts was eudaimonia which is also rendered as ‘happiness,’
‘flourishing’ or ‘living well’, which conceptualizes that happiness is best achieved
through developing virtuous character and by living to our highest degree of human capacity.
Aristotle defined virtues as dispositions to choose good actions and passions, informed
by moral knowledge of several sorts.
For Aristotle, virtues can be intellectual or moral, the intellectual ones are learned
by instruction or education, the moral ones are developed by habits.
Performing virtuous acts can be motivated by having a practical purpose or by the desire
to act in a virtuous way or by both.
In this video, we will explore what one might need to develop virtuous character in accordance
with Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics Theory.
Adopt a Virtuous Mindset Aristotle says “Virtue lies in our power,
and similarly so does vice; because where it is in our power to act, it is also in our
power not to act …”
Aristotle’s focus on character education is based on virtue.
Aristotle distinguishes between two types of virtue: moral virtue and intellectual virtue;
thinking virtuously requires the intellectual virtues, and acting virtuously requires our
moral virtues.
Some intellectual virtues include scientific knowledge known as episteme, artistic or technical
knowledge known as techne, reason known as nous, practical wisdom known as phronesis,
and philosophical wisdom known as sophia.
On the other hand moral virtues are not innate, but acquired by developing the habit of practice
and exercising these virtues.
For example, one only becomes truthful by acting truthfully.
Moral virtues may also be combined with intellectual virtues.
Some examples of the moral virtues are: courage, temperance, modesty, friendliness, truthfulness.
All these moral virtues are a ‘mean’ or ‘intermediate’ between two extremes; one
of excess and one of deficiency.
On the deficiency side, the moral vices include cowardice, insensibility, shamelessness, cantankerousness,
and understatement.
On the excessive side, we have: rashness, licentiousness, shyness, obsequiousness or
flattery, and boastfulness.
Aristotle talks of ‘striking the mean between extremes’ when illustrating his virtue ethics
theory.
For example, if we find ourselves in a situation where we are threatened by a colleague at
work, we can evaluate whether we will respond to this threat with cowardice, courage, or
rashness.
Cowardice and rashness are both classified as ‘extremes’ in this case, however courage
allows us to act out of virtue in a fitting, appropriate way.
In cowardice or rashness, we are not acting virtuously.
By having courage, we can stand up for ourselves, express our concerns about this threat, whilst
still maintaining the right spirit in terms of virtue.
For Aristotle, true courage is a disposition where fears and confidences are balanced and
mastered “for the sake of the noble”.
This essentially means that we can miss the mark by being too confident, or not confident
enough; fearing too much, or not enough, or fearing the wrong things, or fearing them
in inappropriate ways.
Therefore, we must act for the sake of nobility and appropriateness.
True courage expressed by a virtuous character thereby involves fearing the right things,
in the right ways, on the right occasions.
Forming a virtuous character would thereby involve summing up these sets of interdependent
virtues throughout our lifetime in which we would have hit the mean between extremes in
our experiences, thoughts, beliefs and responses, which allows us to live in harmony with our
reason and rationality, therefore in pursuit of eudaimonia.
Acts of virtue bring honor to an individual, while acts of vice bring dishonor.
In consideration of the current stresses we experience in our day to day lives, we might
find ourselves struggling to act in line with our virtues.
Often, we respond to our friends, loved ones and acquaintances in anger instead of courage
when we feel threatened; rashness instead of bravery when we are challenged; or unpleasantness
instead of friendliness when we are approached.
We may act this way because we had a rough morning, we didn’t sleep enough, or perhaps
we have pent up aggression.
Regardless of the cause, the more we act this way, the further we get from developing a
virtuous character.
If we were to adopt a mindset that allows us to evaluate the extremes and strike the
mean in every altercation, situation or occurrence, then we would be acting virtuously.
By acting virtuously and exercising this virtue over time and practice, we can familiarize
ourselves with the processes of selecting appropriate responses.
Thus the practice and familiarization therefore leads us to develop and refine a character
that acts, responds, thinks and believes in line with the virtues.
Or in other words, a virtuous character.
Because, as we mentioned earlier, one cannot be truthful without acting truthfully.
2.
Practice Practical Wisdom
According to Aristotle “Virtue makes us aim at the right end, and practical wisdom
makes us take the right means.”
According to Aristotle, one acquires good character the way one learns to play a musical
instrument; initially, you may be under some pressure to practice, but eventually you come
to enjoy playing with both skill and understanding.
Aristotle claims that full development of character apart from developing a virtuous
mindset, requires practical wisdom and rational reflection.
Eudaimonia, i.e. living well or flourishing, is thereby reached by living virtuously and
building up your character traits until you don’t have to think about your choices before
making the right one that strikes the mean between extremes.
Hence, to develop virtuous character, we must understand and appreciate the value of practical
wisdom, then proceed to practice it to build up our character traits.
Practical wisdom, i.e. phronesis, provides us with the ability to make judgements that
facilitate us in discovering the mean between two extremes, which thereby guides our moral
virtues.
Aristotle defines phronesis as the ‘eye of the soul’.
Having phronesis allows us to critically evaluate our situations, and therefore finely deliberate
about the weight of competing values, actions and emotions.
With this, we can formulate and reach informed decisions about the best course of action
that stem from virtue and virtuous character, and become the Phronimos.
The Phronimos is the person whose life is characterized by applications of phronesis
and who, as a result, tends to flourish throughout his life.
Such a person is said to be eudaimon, or “happy.”
Gaining phronesis requires experience.
Phronesis is concerned with particulars, because it is concerned with how to act in particular
situations, and which situations to act upon.
One must learn the principles and virtues, but for one to apply these in their lives,
one must have experience of the world.
If you know you should be honest, for example, you might act in certain situations in ways
that cause pain and offense; knowing how to apply honesty in balance with other considerations
and in specific contexts requires social interaction and real life experience of the world.
If you had some bad news to share with a friend, would you share it before or after a major
university exam?
Knowing how to apply honesty in balance, at the right time, and in an appropriate way
reflects a virtuous character.
According to Aristotle, “having one’s heart in the right place is not good enough:
being a good person requires a kind of practical intelligence as well as a good disposition.”
Additionally, he contends that “practical wisdom is a true characteristic that is bound
up with action, accompanied by reason, and concerned with things good and bad for a human
being.”
Having phronesis is therefore both necessary and sufficient for being virtuous.
Upon understanding the essence of phronesis and its connection with virtuous character
and, in the end, eudaimonia, we can proceed to explore how we may develop phronesis in
our daily lives.
We can do so directly, or indirectly.
Developing phronesis directly is done through daily mindfulness practice which involves
learning how to pay attention to what is going on within and around us as we go about our
daily life.
This can be done through mindful walking, driving, eating and self-kindness; practicing
each activity with mindful awareness.
Mindfulness can be practiced as simply as by eating slowly, eliminating distractions,
exercising awareness of the nutrients you are feeding your body, and focussing how the
food makes you feel.
The indirect development of phronesis is done as a form of reflection at the end of your
day or beginning of another.
One example includes spending 5 minutes in silence each morning preparing yourself for
the day ahead by visualizing the goals you would like to achieve, and then 5 minutes
each evening reflecting on what you may have learned during the day, or practicing gratitude
for things you might have noticed that made you feel good.
By sifting through and evaluating what is going on in our minds, which often involves
a collection of thoughts and feelings associated with past experiences, we are able to uncover
useful insights that allows us to develop the quality of our practical wisdom.
This includes more formal practices and reflection, such as quiet mindfulness meditation, which
allows us to gain practical insights that represent phronesis.
Doing so in our daily practices allows our virtuous character traits to flourish, and
as a result we learn to ‘live well’ or - as some may say - ‘eudaimoniously.’
3.
Contemplate and Reflect
In our third and final quote for this video, Aristotle says “Happiness, then, is co-extensive
with contemplation, and the more people contemplate, the happier they are; not incidentally, but
in virtue of their contemplation, because it is in itself precious.
Thus happiness is a form of contemplation.”
Aristotle asserts that a life of pleasant, vigorous philosophical contemplation is one
of a superior kind of eudaimonia, and therefore is the best kind of life to have.
He praises the other virtues of course, but maintains that these virtues require practice
when opportunities arise, but you don’t need the right opportunity to practice reflection
and philosophical contemplation.
Instead, all you need is a quiet space to breathe and think.
Reflection is, simply, serious thought or consideration.
In a more philosophical context, reflection is a component of reason that influences our
experiential learning and primarily involves critical awareness, contemplation, and careful
consideration of the ‘self.’
An example involves how you might reflect on a situation where you acted out of anger
instead of grace with a loved one.
Reflecting upon such a time allows you to realize the cause of your actions, realize
the effects and consequences caused by your anger, and contemplate the right course of
action.
More simply, it allows us to see what we would do differently if we had another chance, and
learn from it.
Philosophical contemplation allows us to construct knowledge and constantly evaluate whether
we are living well.
Aristotle went on to present an additional argument for why a life of philosophical contemplation
must be the most perfect state of eudaimonia.
He says that we can all agree that the Gods are above mortals, and experience a different
sort of life than we do.
Now, when we consider human beings, we understand the importance of virtues like justice because
we follow a system of law, courage because we need to stand up for ourselves in situations,
liberality because we fight for our freedom and our rights, and temperance because moderation
and restraint allows us to follow our goals.
Aristotle then asks “Would the Gods be interested in such virtues, or even have reason to apply
them?
He answers “No, these are trivial and ridiculous” among the Gods as they are not striving for
anything, or looking to set anything right.
The only activity that is worthy for the Gods is contemplation, and this is essentially
the virtue that is most valued as a pivotal aspect of human flourishing; a virtue of the
Gods”.
Thus, eudaimonia is connected with the activity of contemplating reality through reason.
It can be said as well that by repeating this activity of contemplation, we make use of
our practical wisdom which further increases our capacity for rational reflection and philosophical
contemplation, and, by extension, also enhances eudaimonia.
Upon illustrating Aristotle’s argument regarding the importance of philosophical contemplation,
as well as explaining the value of reflection in developing virtuous character, we can now
explore how we may apply these profound teachings in our daily lives.
As philosophers, we already live our daily lives beyond the practical realm; we live
our daily lives in the realm of ideas.
This realm of ideas, refers to an active stream of consciousness that consists of an inner
reflective monologue constantly analyzing issues, concepts, speculations and ideas.
Philosophical contemplation doesn’t require an opportunity; it can be done constantly
and continuously, like a voice inside our heads.
But this voice is often muffled by thoughts, moods, and distractions.
To best exercise our capacity for contemplation to develop virtuous character, set aside some
time each week for quiet, mindful meditation.
Meditation provides a sense of awareness of your thoughts, and serves as a platform to
evaluate the good in human life.
Find a quiet spot.
Take a deep breath.
Close your eyes.
Reflect.
We can embody a life of contemplation in several other ways.
Since true virtue cannot be attained without a certain degree of contemplation, exercise
awareness throughout your daily lives.
Take a moment to evaluate why you made a particular choice, notice how you feel after a certain
interaction, and consider the consequences of your actions.
If for example, you had a fight with somebody close to you, take a deep breath and think
if you applied any of the moral virtues we discussed earlier, in excess or in deficiency.
Perhaps you find that you hid something essential from that person, you had used truthfulness
in deficiency and this caused that person to be angry with you.
Or, by contrast, maybe you find that you shared too much with that person, you said some truth
that hurt them.
In this case, perhaps you should have given less painful details or framed the issue in
a kinder way.
For most of our life problems, the causes are the excessive or deficient application
of moral virtues.
If we take the necessary time to contemplate and reflect on our lives, we can learn to
not repeat the same mistakes over and over again.
Exercising awareness in your day-to-day situations feeds valuable insight into your reflections
and contemplation.
Contemplation can help reveal the ways in which you - or any human - can flourish with
respect to Aristotelian virtues.
Therefore, for one to be truly eudaimonic, one must exercise virtue by exercising contemplation.
Aristotle conveys an important connection between virtuous character and living well
or flourishing throughout his works, which also prove to be very relevant in our modern
day setting.
First, we investigated Aristotle’s notion of virtuous character, and how one must approach
character education with a virtuous mindset.
Adopting a virtuous mindset thereby allows us to actualise virtues in our daily lives
.
Secondly, we discussed the value of practical wisdom, or phronesis, and how that applies
to the achievement of a virtuous character.
With phronesis, we can facilitate making the right judgements that strike the mean between
extremes and guide us in practicing our virtues in a practical, habitual sense.
Aristotle places great value on the connection between embodying a virtuous mindset and practicing
phronesis when striving for eudaimonia.
Only with practical wisdom can humans gain the practical intelligence to act virtuously
at the right time, in the right way.
Finally, we addressed the importance of philosophical contemplation and reflection.
Aristotle recognises contemplation as the most perfect form of eudaimonia; a virtue
of the Gods.
By living an examined life, we are therefore able to construct knowledge and consistently
evaluate our thoughts, beliefs, actions and judgements in order to exercise virtue and
develop virtuous character.
To become a virtuous person and to develop virtuous character, combining the three notions
illustrated in this video are essential.
We must repeat and practice elements of virtue to form the habit of embedding our virtues
into our daily actions; once we form habitual practices through adopting a virtuous mindset,
consciously exercise practical wisdom in our judgements, and ensure we take time to reflect
on our activities, we can develop virtuous character.
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