Contemplating Virtue Ethics

This piece is a consideration of Aristotle's 12 virtues with an emphasis on temperance. Here is a highlight...



Clearly, one is not virtuous by simply having a theoretical understanding of the virtues, virtuous acts, and why virtuous acts are necessary. One must also be committed to consistently performing such acts. This is difference between virtues of thought and virtues of character. The virtues of thought are those which display knowledge and understanding of the right thing to do; the combination of these two is known as theoretical wisdom. Practical wisdom is the knowledge or capacity to decide whether an action can be successfully executed.[1]Virtues of character are relative to the person themselves. Virtues of character are concerned with the consistency in actions. These two concepts work closely with each other. For example, one’s consistency is judged by the execution of practical wisdom. It may not be reasonable to donate to charity in every situation, some may be scams or unethical. In this case, someone who donates to charity regularly may be justified in not donating in this instance. This does not discount their previous consistency in being generous.

Having grown up in the Orthodox Christian church, temperance was a strong theme in my childhood. What is interesting about the way Aristotle describes temperance, is that he compares its deficiency (self-indulgence) to cowardice.[2]He makes the distinction that cowardice is mostly involuntary, while self-indulgence is mostly voluntary. This is because cowardice is associated with avoiding pain, while self-indulgence seeks pleasure. Fear is not necessarily something we can resist. Aristotle asserts that the temperate person is one that is content with what they have, they are without insatiable desire for more. Many of his virtues rely on honor for judgment, this one relies more heavily on modesty. It seems like all of Aristotle's virtues have an umbrella virtue that rules them. I like that he brings in childishness to describe self-indulgence. I agree with this comparison, I think our child-like nature is impulsive and has no regard for what is modest. A child is naturally dictated by their impulses, desires, and appetite.

Considering temperance in the modern age is very thought provoking; there are many adjustments to be made. I wonder what Aristotle would have thought about our society's occasional self-indulgence as a form of self-care? Would Aristotle agree that here and there, it is healthy to give in to innocent temptations like eating an entire pint of ice cream to cure a broken heart? If the hypothetical broke heart did not give in to this temptation, maybe they would have given in to some other vice, like being rude. Alternatively, one's mental state may be at stake if they aretooreasonable all of the time. I am not referring to temperance in excess, but rather just being consistently temperate.

[1]Aristotle, and Terence Irwin. “Book II.”Nicomachean Ethics, Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., Indianapolis, 2019, chapter 6.



[2]Aristotle, and Terence Irwin. “Book III.”Nicomachean Ethics, Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., Indianapolis, 2019, chapter 10.