Name: Gabrielle Angelo G.

Bautista

Course and section: BS-BIO 2-5

Reflection paper about Aristotle, his take on Virtue and the Moral Character

Aristotle, born in Macedonia became one of the best students of Plato and became one of

the greatest philosopher in the western philosophy. Although his life is interesting to know, he

was like any other kids in Macedonia, hoping to become someone that may contribute to

something. He was the son of Nicomachus, a physician to the king of Macedonia. After his

father’s death, in the age of 18 he went to Athens to study philosophy under the care of Plato at

the Academy. He was an outstanding and talented student but he was not the most devoted, as he

said once “Dear is Plato, but dearer still the truth” showing that someday in his life, he will

surpass his master. Around the age of 49, he returned to Athens and founded the lyceum. His

works deal with the theoretical sciences such as the metaphysics, physics, De caelo, De

Generatiome, De anima, Nicomechean ethics and Eucleman ethics. Of course all of his works

around his time is exceptional, but the one that stands out the most is his take on Virtue and the

moral character.

Aristotle rejects the Platonic view (moral evaluations of daily life, is independent of

experience, personality and circumstances), but instead he insisted that the basic moral principle

is imminent in the activities of our daily lives and can be discovered through a study of them.

This mindset of his about the moral will probably be the backbone of his take on Virtue.
 Virtue for Aristotle is like the golden mean of the excess and the deficiency. For example

a person that is courageous is virtuous by means that the person is not coward and not excessive

in bravery, he is in the middle. Virtue is a way of living, something can be learned from

experience alone. Virtue is divided into two, the moral and the intellectual virtue. The moral

shows that the habits of choice is in relation to the rational principles, while the intellectual is the

ought to the contemplation of theoretical truths and the rational principles. So by this, it shows

that virtue can be a vague thing because it depends on the person itself, it can be gathered

through experience or it can be copied from moral exemplars that in turn makes a person

virtuous as well.

So according to the book, it show the phases of how the moral character works as well as

the becomings of the virtue itself. First is that in any investigation, may be practical or

theoretical, must always have a teleological basis the aims for the good, it also show its hierarchy

of the end, the second part talks about the appropriate end in which it talks about that certain

studies or theoretical pursuit must end in a certain capacity, for example if a person studies

politics, it will end to becoming a king or a law maker. The third part talks about the expectation

of a high degree precision which is that sometimes it can be flawed because of the human

variable in it. The fourth part talks about the ultimate good is happiness, then the fifth part talks

about the criteria of the chief good making self sufficient the final good. After that the sixth part

talks about the definition of happiness, the activity of the soul which is the reason and the

accordance with virtue which is the quality of performance. Then on the seventh part talks about

the structure of the human soul, it talks about the rational part and the irrational part, the rational

part talks about the unchanging in which it can be the laws and principles and the changing is the
thoughts. While in the irrational part, there is the desire and the nutrition. For Aristotle, morality

is the combination the rational and the irrational. The eight part talks about the two functions of

virtue, the intellectual and the moral. The moral function is the habit, the nature within us, while

the intellectual function is divided into 5, the techne which is the skill and art, phronesis which is

the prudence and practicality, the nous which is the intellect, episteme which is reason and

Sophia which is the theoretical wisdom. In the ninth part talks about the human personality

which are the passion, faculties and states of character. Then it also talks about what is the

morally virtues and the morally virtous is the golden mean between vices of the excessive and

deficiency. In the tenth part talks about the results of his investigation to the meaning of virtue in

which it is the state of character concerning with choice and determined by principle. It also talks

about the golden mean. In the eleventh part, talks about his formulation of virtue and his direct

examination to specific moral virtues. Then in the twelfth part talks about the intellectual virtue,

it talks about the proper exercise of reason and its function. Then lastly, Aristotle accepts that

reason is the guide to a moral action but philosophical wisdom is superior to practical wisdom.

As it shows, a conclusion has come up in my mind that a person can become virtuous in

any means necessary but the means must always be at the middle, the point where it is in the

center of being excessive and being deficicient. So in other words, having virtue means

becoming the best person you can be or the Eudaimonia, in which it is the pinnacle of humanity.

Aristotle said that “if we can just focus on being good, the right actions will follow effortlessly. I

agree on what he has said, that becoming a virtuous person varies from one person or another.

The similarity between them is that they will have to overcome things in order to do great things.