Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

Two types of virtue

Intellecutal and Moral

(teachings vs experience)

What are Intellectual and Moral Virtues

We are all born with potential for both, but we must behave in the right way to train ourselves to be virtuous. (eg musician learns to play instrument, but we learn it by practicing)

Life is so subjective hence we must find the mean. 

Intellectual

• learned through instruction

Moral

• Learned through habit and constant practice

To be courage, we have to learn about it then act on it 

Pain and pleasure

for MORAL VIRTUE, you must develop correct attitude towards pain and pleasure.

eg gluttony: feeling inappropriate pleasure when presented with food

temperate person will gain pleasure from abstaining from such indulgance

3 ways of to identify and distinguish virtuous people

It is possible for people to act virtuious on accident, so:

• virtous people know they’re acting correctly

• they choose virtue for the sake of being virtuous

• their behaviour is part of a fixed disposition

(virtue is a DISPOSITION, not a feeling or faculty. disposition to act in the right way)

Is there virtue potential for every action?

No. There is no medium/mean for adultry or murder, these actions are always wrong.

However, some means can be closer to extremes/deficincies because of relative averages per person, but also due to the nature of the characteristic.

EG bravery is closer to rashness than it is to cowardice.

• most of us are more included to be cowardly than rash, so we are more aware of courage deficiencies.

Principle and virtues

Virtue comes about by choosing a mean that’s in accordance with the right principle. 

2 parts of the soul

Rational vs Irrational

Rational

• contemplation part (studies invariable truths of science and math. right reasoning corresponds to TRUTH)

• calculative part (practice matters of human life. right reasoning corresponds to proper deliberation → making the right choice)

5 intellectual virtues

1- Scientific knowledge

• uses deduction or induction for eternal truths

2- Art/Technical skill

• production according to proper reasoning

3- Prudence/Practical Wisdom

• helps us pursue the good life generally

4- Intuition

• helps us grasp first principles that se derive scientific truths

5- Wisdom

• combination of wisdom and intuition 

Political science is a species of prudence, since it involves ensuring the good life for an entire city. 

RESOURCEFULNESS

Resourcefulness is good deliberation. It is different to scienctific knowledge and opinion. Resourcefulness is a means of achieving prudent ends.

Understanding is a form of judgement regarding practical matters.

Judgement, understanding, prudence and intuition are all natural gifts we have that allows us to deliberate an act on the right course of action.

Philosopher word origins

Sofia = wisom

Phil = lover of

Philosophy is the love of wisom

Prudence / Practical wisdom

General sense of knowing proper behaviour is all situations. We learn it through instruction, intellectual virtue, not through practice. It is the basis of moral virtuality.

No prudence means that someone wouldn’t know how to act. No moral virtue means that clever people will never purpose the appropriate ends.

Logical syllogism

Major premise, minor premise, then conclusion.

All humans are mammals. Aristotle is a human. He is therefore an animal