VIRTUE AS

EXCELLENCE
Achieving the highest purpose of a human
person concerns the ability to function
according to reason and to perform an activity
well or excellently.
This excellent way of doing things is called
virtue or arete by the Greeks.
According to Aristotle
“For one swallow does not make a summer,
nor does one day; and so too one day, or a
short time, does not make a man blessed and
happy.”
For Aristotle, the human soul is divided
into two parts:
 Irrational element- as an irrational element, this part of man
is not in the realm where virtue is exercised because, as the
term suggest, it cannot dictated by reason.
Irrational element of man consist of vegetative and
appetitive aspects:
 Vegetative aspects of the soul follows the natural processes
involved in the physical activities and growth of a person.
 Appetitive aspect works as a desiring faculty of man.
 Rational faculty of man exercises excellence in him. One
can rightly or wrongly apply the use of reason in this part.
This faculty is divided into two aspects:
 Moral which concerns the act of doing.
 Intellectual which concerns the act of knowing.

These two aspects are basically where the function of reason

is exercised.
There are two ways by which one can
attain intellectual excellence
 Philosophic wisdom deals with attaining knowledge about the
fundamental principles and truths that govern the universe.
 Practical wisdom is an excellence knowing the right conduct
in carrying out a particular act.

In other words, one can attain a wisdom that can provide us with
a guide on how to behave in our daily lives.
 Aristotle suggests that although the rational functions of a
person (moral and intellectual) are distinct from each
other, it is necessary for humans to attain the intellectual
virtue of practical wisdom in order to accomplish a
morally virtuous act.
 Having practical wisdom or the excellence in knowing
what to act upon does not make someone already morally
virtuous. Knowing the good is different from determining
and acting on what is good.
 This distinction draws a sharp contrast between Aristotle’s
understanding of the dynamics of knowledge and action
from that of Socrates’s view that knowledge already
contains the ability of choice or action.
 Itseems that for Socrates, moral goodness is already
within the realm of intellectual excellence. Knowing the
good implies the ability to perform morally virtuous acts.
Being a good basketball player, for example, involves
constant training and endless hours of shooting and dribbling
the ball in the right way until one habitually does the right
stroke in shooting the ball and the right tempo in dribbling
the ball. It is only when she properly plays basketball
consistently that she will be recognized as a good basketball
player.
MORAL VIRTUE AND MESOTES
As stated by Aristotle, developing a practical
wisdom involves learning from experiences.
Knowledge is not inherent to a person.

Bro. Armin Luistro, with his practical wisdom

and experience, has observed the possible effect
of television violence on the young so he issued
guidelines on television viewing for children.
 By Aristotle, it is the middle, intermediate, or mesotes for the
Greeks that is aimed at by a morally virtuous person.
Determining the middle becomes the proper tool by which one
can arrive at the proper way of doing things.
 Based on Aristotle, a morally virtuous person is concerned
with achieving her appropriate action in manner that is neither
excessive nor deficient.
 Mesotes determines whether the act applied is not excessive or
deficient.
Aristotle also provides examples of particular virtues and the
corresponding excesses and deficiencies of these. These table
shows some of the virtues and their vices:

EXCESS MIDDLE DEFICIENCY

Impulsiveness Self-control Indecisiveness
Recklessness Courage Cowardice
Prodigality liberality Meanness
To sum up, moral virtue according to Aristotle, is a “state of
character” which habitually acts according to the middle
measure that practical wisdom identifies as the moral choice
that should be acted upon, given the concrete situation that
presents to the person. The goal of virtue ethics is to promote
the maturity of the character of the person. Building a good
character is a task and responsibility of every person.
THANK YOU