Ethical Communication: Moral Stances in Human Dialogue

7. Aristotle: Self-Development

55 Aristotle Self-Development Lee Anne Peck A person’s virtuous character grows from certain habits; this is the cornerstone of Aristotle’s ethics. According to Aristotle (384–322 BCE): “It makes no small difference . . . whether we form habits of one kind or another from our very youth; it makes a very great difference, or rather all the difference”(1103b25).1 Some moral theories highlight the end result of a person’s action, and others take into account the actions themselves. Aristotle, though, put the emphasis on one’s character. Aristotle, a student of Plato’s, believed that ethics is not an exact science; instead, he believed in the uniqueness of individuals and, therefore, that ethical behavior cannot be prescribed precisely. For instance, the virtue of courage sits between two opposite extremes— one of foolhardiness and the other of cowardliness, and the optimal point between these two extremes may be different for different people. What is morally required, so to speak, is determined by the circumstances, or the cultural significance, of a case; therefore, no single right action exists for any ethical situation. The above description is Aristotle’s Doctrine of the Mean. Every virtue lies between two vices: one in the direction of too much emotion , the other in the direction of too little. Some may believe Aristotle ’s doctrine came from mathematics, but it did not, and it cannot be explained as such. Moral virtues are habits of choice—thus, the study of ethics is action, not just knowledge. Aristotle would say that 7 1. All Nicomachean Ethics citations are from R. McKeon, ed., Introduction to Aristotle (1947). McKeon used the marginal numbering from Bekker’s edition. 56 . Lee Anne Peck what is needed before his mean can be understood and used are“well brought-up beginners” who have the correct virtuous habits. Aristotle was born in Macedonia, north of ancient Greece, the son of the doctor Nicomachus. In 367 BCE, Aristotle went to Athens and studied at Plato’s Academy for twenty years. According to philosopher Diogenes (400–325 BCE), who was an early biographer of sorts, Aristotle was known as the mind of the school, or the nous. No evidence of Aristotle exists in Plato’s writings; however, evidence of Plato exists in Aristotle’s—especially in reference to the Platonic doctrine of the forms. In his writing, Aristotle used no comedy or irony as Plato occasionally did, and he studied such diverse topics as biology and physics. After Plato died in 347 BCE, Aristotle left Athens for several years, traveling and staying in different areas. It is believed he did many of his biological studies during this time period, mostly on the island of Lesbos. Philip II invited Aristotle to return to Macedonia to teach his son Alexander, who later became Alexander the Great. In 335 BCE, Aristotle returned to Athens and created his own school, the Lyceum; Plato’s nephew Speusippus had taken over his uncle’s Academy. Students of the Lyceum were known as peripatetic—they learned while walking and talking. In 323 BCE, when Alexander the Great died, Aristotle’s position in Athens became uncertain because he was from Macedonia and not a citizen of Athens, so he left for the island of Euboea, where he died in 322 BCE in his early sixties. Although Aristotle died at a somewhat early age, he left many writings that read like lecture notes (and are probably lecture notes). It is believed that only about a third of Aristotle’s writings survive today. Aristotle’s treatises on ethics include The Eudemian Ethics, edited by his student Eudemus, and The Nicomachean Ethics, edited by his son Nicomachus. Because The Nicomachean Ethics is thought to be the work written closest to his death, many see the views it contains as those most closely mirroring Aristotle’s beliefs about ethics. As mentioned, Aristotle disagreed with Plato’s idea of, or form of, the one “good.” He believed that the good is different in different actions (1097a15) and only “happiness” is final in all instances. When a person knows the difference between right and wrong, this, he believed , was the state of happiness. Aristotle believed one should enjoy doing the right thing—and practice makes perfect! According to Aristotle, before a person can put the Doctrine of the Mean into action, a person must already be a virtuous person. .   57 Aristotle He or she becomes a virtuous...