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Aristotle's Golden Mean Explained

The document discusses Aristotle's concept of the golden mean from his Nicomachean Ethics. It explains that for Aristotle, moral virtues lie between two extremes - too much or too little of a trait. The absolute mean is different than the relative mean for each individual. Good judgment requires finding the mean between extremes, which requires both general knowledge and experience. It provides examples of virtues and their related vices of excess and deficiency, such as courage between cowardice and rashness.

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Hashma Khan
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237 views1 page

Aristotle's Golden Mean Explained

The document discusses Aristotle's concept of the golden mean from his Nicomachean Ethics. It explains that for Aristotle, moral virtues lie between two extremes - too much or too little of a trait. The absolute mean is different than the relative mean for each individual. Good judgment requires finding the mean between extremes, which requires both general knowledge and experience. It provides examples of virtues and their related vices of excess and deficiency, such as courage between cowardice and rashness.

Uploaded by

Hashma Khan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THEGOLDENMEANINARISTOTLESNICOMACHEANETHICS

Eachmoralvirtueisameanorliesbetweenextremesofpleasureorofactiondoingorfeeling
too much or too little. The absolute mean is different from the mean as it is relative to the
individual. For example, the intermediate between two pounds and ten pounds of food is
(absolutely)sixpounds,butthemeanrelativetotheindividualwillbedifferentfortheathlete
than it is for the nonathlete. Morality, like artwork, requires that one neither underdo nor
overdo.Onemusthitupontherightcourse(steeringbetweentoomuchandtoolittle).This
requires practice. Virtues are good habits or dispositions to do the right thing developed by
meansofparticularvirtuousacts.Meansthemselvesdonotadmitofexcessanddeficiency(one
cannothavetoomuchcourage,etc.).

Good judgment requires that one find the mean betweenextremes. In order to do that, one
must have both general knowledge and particular experience. Practical wisdom is the
intellectual virtue (intellectual virtues are higher than moral virtues), which governs
deliberation and action. Here are some examples of the golden mean taken from Aristotle's
NicomacheanEthics(BookII):

VICE(DEFECT)

VIRTUE(MEAN)

VICE(EXCESS)

Cowardice(toolittleconfidence)

Courage

Rashness(toomuchconfidence)

Foolhardiness(toolittlefear)

Courage

Cowardice(toomuchfear)

Insensibility(toolittlepleasure)

Temperance

Selfindulgence(toomuch
pleasure)

MeannessorStinginess(toolittle
giving)

Liberality

ProdigalityorWastefulness(too
muchgiving)

Stinginess(ingivingoutlarge
sumsofmoney)

Magnificence

TastelessnessandVulgarity
(givingoutlargesums)

UndueHumility(toolittlehonor)

ProperPride

EmptyVanity(toomuchhonor)

Inirascibility(toolittleanger)

GoodTemper

Irascible(toomuchanger)

Shamelessness(toolittleshame)

Modesty

Bashfulness(toomuchshame)

Surliness

Friendliness

Flattery

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