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Doctrine Of The Mean Aristotle

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The Doctrine of the Mean was created by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. This Doctrine is often referred to as a useless mistake with regards as to what it stands for, however I believe that it stands as one of the main beginnings of virtue based philosophy. The Doctrine of the Mean is based off of the idea of virtue and that everyone has a ethical choice to make no matter what situation they are placed in. For example, virtue can be seen when one is faced by two very extreme situations; virtue would be described as how one would act in that situation. A very basic example would be the “train track” situation where you can save 10 people on one side of a train track from getting hit or you can save your best friend. Virtue is based …show more content…
Thus, the idea is not that one always acts in a way which is intermediate between two extremes, but that one’s actions are guided by a character trait which is neither excessive nor insufficient. For example, in certain situations, someone possessing the virtue of generosity might nevertheless refuse to give anything at all to a particular person in a particular circumstance (or, conversely, might give away everything they own); or a person with the virtue of being even-tempered might nevertheless find it appropriate, sometimes, to become very angry (or, in another situation, to meekly suppress any angry feelings whatsoever).” (Bailey pg.36)
I believe that this quote is necessary when understanding the Doctrine of the Mean because of the fact that it takes into account that the Doctrine is only applicable to virtues of an …show more content…
how to become a virtuous person and what does virtue mean? Virtue is described as the “moral excellence and righteousness” of a thing (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/virtue). For example, a knife that is dull and does not cut would not be a virtuous knife; however a knife that is sharp and can cut with ease is looked upon as a virtuous knife. In simpler words, for X to become virtuous, X has to have the capacity to fulfill its deemed purpose. Aristotle believed that everything has a purpose and a final cause, thus creating a teleological worldview. In regards to humans, a righteous and virtuous individual would be someone who follows the “status quo”. However, we humans have the capacity to rebel against our nature which is contrary to completing our ultimate purpose. Humans have the power to reason situations and enables us to practice being true to our own nature.
Aristotle did not explain what he meant by virtue having an intermediate, however, he allowed there to be a debate over the understanding that the two “in betweens” have the same properties of the two extremes. An intermediate has the right to express emotions and actions, separate from the two extremes. However, the two extremes are completely contingent on the intermediate, when in relation to their

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