A virtue can be referred to as a character trait that can be considered universal or excellent in

nature. According to the article, virtue can be conveyed as the mean between two extremes

known as vices. Virtue is what makes a human function well. As per the article there are three

conditions arising in the soul which are feelings, capacities and disposition. When it comes to

virtues, it cannot be feelings because feelings arise in the most part involuntarily and therefore

not subjected to a choice. For example, if a person gets angry its not that the individual is given

certain alternative feelings and he/she chooses to be angry. It arises as a natural consequence of

the thought process or it could be a certain way the induvial reacts to a particular stimulus in the

environment. On the contrary virtues involve conscious thought and choice. Virtues cannot be

capacities either as we are not praised or blamed for being capable of feeling. And finally, it

boils down to a disposition. According to the article virtue is a disposition. I believe that what

Aristotle meant by that is a person’s qualities and character, placed or arranged in relation to

extreme emotions or activities. Virtue is a key component in establishing happiness or fulfillment

known as eudaimonia. Unfortunately, it is not in the nature of humans to be virtuous. Virtue have

to be developed and horned over the course of a lifetime. As a result, two kinds of virtues can be

observed. These virtues are called intellectual and ethical virtues. Intellectual is often getting the

grasp of how one should act virtuously. This is often learned with time and experience. On the

other hand, ethical virtue is actually practicing the virtues over a course of a lifetime developing

a custom or habit. This enables a human to achieve a higher purpose in life in terms of happiness

and fulfillment.

As I understand when referring to the doctrine of mean, the word mean is like middle ground

avoiding extremes of the cognitive emotional process. The extremes could refer to one being in

excess and the other being deficient. A person developing virtues acts in the middle exhibiting
moderation in a spectrum of emotions and activities. The Aristotle’s doctrine of the mean states

that a person is virtuous if he/she feels his/her passion at the appropriate times with the right

things, towards the right people, with the right purpose and in the right direction. The person’s

practical knowledge and experience will help them to know the right or appropriate time and

situation to take the action and appropriateness varies with person to person. Where virtue means

a state of character concerned with choice, lying in the mean and mean is the intermediate of two

extremes. If a person is eating a balanced food neither too much nor too less and doing a

moderate exercise neither too much nor too little to become healthy and fit then this is an

example of a situation where a person exhibits the correct virtue of good habits which will help

the person to lead a good healthy life. There are also virtues essential for human life. For

example, charity or love which shows strong and constant inclination or affection towards a

person and imparts unity, care or forgiveness towards other people. Patience can also be a virtue.

Patience is where there are harmony and stability in a person's behavior along with and do not

possess hostility, conflict or antagonism in their behaviors.

The Plato's allegory of the cave is an excerpt which has been taken from the beginning of Plato's

book - The Republic. Here, Plato has described allegory in the context of Education. Plato's

allegory of the cave offers an insight into Plato's view of education. It is about philosophical

education. In the book, Plato is telling the allegory to his brother, Glaucon. Plato's line of

division is also a division between mind and body. The upper half of the body is intelligible

which means it is seen by the mind and the lower half is visible. Plato divides human knowledge

into four sections. It starts by dividing a line into two unequal sections, the upper level and the

longer one corresponds to knowledge and the lower level corresponds to opinion. The two levels

are further dissected into two more parts making it four sections. Knowledge further dissected
into dianoia and noesis and Opinion further dissected into eikasia and pistis. Theory of Forms

says the physical world is not the real world. Plato asserts that a real world exists beyond the

physical world. As per this theory, there are two realms: Physical and spiritual realm. As per this

theory, physical realm is the one in which we are present and interact on daily basis, it is

constantly changing and imperfect whereas spiritual realm is beyond this physical realm and this

is called Realm of Forms (Realm of ideals or Realm of ideas).The forms are unchanging

concepts, abstract, perfect or ideals that transcend the space and time. These forms are more real

than any occurring physical objects. Ordinary objects are examples of the forms. Concept like

beauty, goodness, justice, redness etc. are forms. Individual objects reside in the physical realm

like beautiful girl, good person, red ball etc.