Kwasi Dankwa PHL100 2023/03/26

“[I]t takes work to be excellent” (1109a23)

Aristotle concedes that moral judgments are not always easy to make and its necessary to use

judgement and self-awareness to determine the mean – the middle ground between two extremes

– to make the right choice. First, Aristotle lays out some rule of guidance for those that seek

virtue -- One extreme is generally worse than the other, so it's best to strive for "less evil." It's

also important to ascertain which extreme tends to lean more naturally toward excess or

deficiency. Additionally, it is wise to be cautious of pleasure because everyone has a natural

tendency toward enjoyment (1109a33-b11).

One might ask what lies between two extremes and makes up the mean? Is the mean just an

average or determined in another manner? If so, then being average indicates that one is moral

however, if Aristotle’s interpretation of the Doctrine of the Mean is the correct theory of virtue,

then it is theoretically impossible for the average person not to be too conceited, or too lazy. For

instance, Aristotle will argue that someone who works for long hours in isolation without paying

attention to his friends or family is seen as vice. The same can be said for someone who is

completely lazy and never works. Therefore, a person must show ambition to observe the mean

between the two extremes. However, it is possible for that same person to reach a point where he

can attain his goal through passive income and putting in less work. Consequently, even though

it takes work to be excellent, there are certain discrepancies in Aristotle’s interpretation of the

mean since the mean is not completely independent from the two extremes.

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Kwasi Dankwa PHL100 2023/03/26

Works cited

Aristotle, & Reeve, C. D. C. (2014). Nicomachean ethics. Hackett Publishing Company.