Aristotle's Ethics A

(Originally written July 9, 2006 in Book 4)

The History of Western Philosophy
Bertrand Russell
Chapter 20 - Aristotle's Ethics

The good is happiness, an activity of the soul.

2 kinds of virtue
1) intellectual - comes from teaching
2) moral - comes from habit

Every virtue is a mean between two extremes (the Golden Mean).

Every man should be loved according to their worth.

The best person should possess:
1) Proper pride
2) An accurate measurement of his worth
3) Despise for despicable men

The magnanimous man is the best man. Magnanimous means 'great-souled' or 'proud'.

The magnanimous man:
-must be good
-must be virtuous
-must not run from danger
-must be noble
-knows that no honor is great enough for him
-have power and wealth for honor
-not run into trifling dangers
-know that life is sometimes not worth living on un-virtuous grounds
-ask for next to nothing
-care for what people think of him
-tell the truth
-not admire anyone or anything
-must not gossip
-possess beautiful and profitless things
-step slowly
-speak in a low voice