Metric vs Imperial Quiz

Aristotle's Virtue Theory and the Golden Mean

• Virtue theory is a moral theory that focuses on character, rather than rules or principles.
• Aristotle believed that humans have a fixed nature, and that the way we flourish is by adhering to that nature.
• Proper functioning is key to Aristotle's theory, and everything has a function that is good to the extent that it fulfills its purpose.
• Virtue is doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, in the right amount, towards the right people.
• The Golden Mean is the midpoint between two extremes, known as vices, and it is the just-right amount of a particular virtue.
• Courage is a virtue that is the midpoint between cowardice and recklessness.
• Honesty is a virtue that is the midpoint between brutal honesty and failing to say things that need to be said.
• Generosity is a virtue that is the midpoint between stinginess and giving too much.
• Virtue is a skill that is learned through habituation and practical wisdom, which is kind of like street smarts.
• Moral exemplars are those who already possess virtue, and we learn virtue by watching and emulating them.
• Virtue theory says that we should become virtuous because it allows us to achieve eudaimonia, which means a life well lived or human flourishing.
• Eudaimonia is a life of striving, pushing yourself to your limits, and finding success, but it also means facing disappointments and failures.