The Doctrine of the Mean in Aristotles Politics

2162 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Aristotle nicomachean ethics essays

The Doctrine of the Mean in Aristotle’s Politics.
Examining the texts of Aristotle’s “Nicomachean Ethics” and “Politics” side by side, one is bound to find parallels between his reasoning with regard to the individual and to the state. In “Nicomachean Ethics” Aristotle discusses happiness, virtue, and the good life on an individual level and lays out necessary provisions for the good life of a person. He maintains that virtue is a necessary element of happiness: a man will be happy if he has virtues of justice, courage, and temperance, each constituting a balance between the extremes. But this requirement of virtue for the happy life goes beyond the individual level, as we see it in “Politics”. There, Aristotle claims that man is by nature a “political animal” , and for that reason he can only achieve the above-mentioned virtues as part of a state. And since the city is formed by many individuals, the virtue of the state is constituted by the individual virtues of its citizens. It is therefore clear that fulfillment of requirements for the happy life of an individual, namely being virtuous and self-sufficient, is equally necessary for the state as a whole in order to be happy. We thus see that the virtue of a state is directly linked to the virtue of an individual, and that therefore the means of achieving the former will run parallel with those of the latter.
At this point, one might want to examine closer what Aristotle denotes by virtue, by what means it can be obtained, and what the effects of virtuousness are on something that possesses it. Aristotle identifies virtue as “a state that decides…the mean relative to us, which is defined by reference to reason… It is a mean between two vices, one of excess and one of deficiency.” The key concept in this definition is the mean relative to us, by which Aristotle understands the intermediate between something that is equidistant from each extremity . As he puts it, in everything continuous and divisible we can take either too much of something, too little, or some intermediate that is between the excess and deficiency. Moreover, the mean relative to us is not merely a mathematical intermediate halfway between the two extremes. For if, Aristotle explains, “ten pounds is a lot for someone o eat, and two pounds a little, I does not follow that the train...

... middle of paper ...

...we turn to the middle class, which is a mean between the two extremes, to be a buffer between the upper and the lower classes. The middle class suffers least from ambition and is the most willing to listen to reason. Therefore, in order for the state to be good and stable, it is necessary to adhere to the mean and make the middle class as large as possible relative to the lower and the upper classes.
We have now observed a series of instances in which a constituent of an ideal regime has to comply with the Doctrine of the Mean in order to be efficient and make the state better and not worse. Having started with virtue and good life of an individual and extending the concept to the level of the state, we could see that the Doctrine is not merely a means of individual happiness. Rather, its application is much more universal, ranging from a single person to an entire city. In each case, though, the key is the same: moderation and avoidance of extremes. Whether we want to make an individual happy or the whole city, placing an object at the mean related to this object is what is necessary to make it virtuous, and virtue in turn will ensure its excellence.

Show More
Related

  • Eastern Woodland Indians and the Seven Years' War

    871 Words  | 2 Pages

    ... due to a long relationship of trade, alliance, and kinship with the French as well as the promise of "war honors" (Calloway, 2012, p. 174). In 1757, the British troops at Fort William Henry on Lake George surrendered to the French. This victory was short lived as most of the French's Indian allies attacked the surrendered fort because they felt betrayed by the terms of surrender. The native peoples unleashed a slaughter, which included scalps and captives (Calloway, 2012, p. 174). The Indians were severing ties with the French and the British war effort was increasing with vigor. The Native Americans began to side with the British not knowing what this would bring, which was more freedom and land stripped away from them.

    Read More

  • General Edward Braddock: A Controversial Commander

    597 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1755, Braddock was dispatched to command the British and colonial forces in North America's first significant battle. With the major aim to capture Fort Duquesne at the forks of the Ohio River Valley, he commanded a force of 1,400 British regulars and 700 colonial militia. After crossing the Monongahela River on July 9, 1755, they were ambushed by 900 French, Canadians, and Native Americans. Braddock refused to allow his men to take cover and arranged them in the British traditional column formation. This allowed the French to easily ambush the British forces because they used the surrounding trees as cover. So, despite the fact that the British outnumbered the French, the French won. In all, the British lost 977 men and the French only lost

    Read More

  • The French and Indian War

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    By the year 1754 conflict had erupted between France and Britain over colonial borders in the new world. Britain was expanding her American colonies westward, and France was alarmed by Britain’s aggressive movement into traditionally French or Indian territories. The spur had begun when French soldiers captured a British expedition led by George Washington; he was dispatched by Gov. Robert Dinwiddie on a fruitless mission to warn the French commander at Fort Le Boeuf against further encroachment on territory claimed by Britain. The consequential conflict, known as the French and Indian War, lasted from 1754 to 1763 and had a profound impact on Britain’s dealings with the colonies in America which ultimately led to the American Revolution.

    Read More

  • French and Indian War

    2663 Words  | 6 Pages

    The French and Indian war took place between 1754 and 1763. Here between these nine years would serve as the blue print to America’s history and future. “What began as a struggle over territorial rights between British colonist and French settlers became part of an international war between the great powers” (Schwartz, 1). To truly understand the French and Indian war, many must take a look into the past events that caused the dispute between the British and the French. During the year 1498, the British claims to the continent were based on the London Company and the sailing of the waters under the rule of King James I. This is where the British company in the latter half of the seventeenth century, under the crown established a reign or province, extending from seas to sea.

    Read More

  • Does Aristotle’s Function Argument Offer a Convincing Account of the Human Good?

    1843 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Nicomachean Ethics, written by Aristotle, represents his most important contribution within the field of Ethics; it is a collection of ten books, covering a variety of interesting topics, throughout the collection. Aristotle tries to draw a general understanding of the human good, exploring the causes of human actions, trying to identify the most common ultimate purpose of human actions. Indeed, Aristotelian’s ethics, also investigates through the psychological and the spiritual realms of human beings. Without pretending to exhaust with too many references, it would be rather useful to focus on the most criticized part of the philosopher’s attempt, which is also the very starting point of his masterpiece, identified as eudaimonia (happiness, well being) and ergon (function), in Aristotelian terms.

    Read More

  • Virtue and Happiness in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

    1147 Words  | 3 Pages

    In consideration to Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle’s view of the great-souled man is that of an individual that represents happiness and obtains the five virtues: wisdom, justice, bravery, self-control, and the overall goodness within an individual (happiness). The magnanimous person is very complex and displays the proper virtues at the proper time, and in the proper way. In addition, the great-souled man accommodates to his surroundings where he is honorable but not boastful in his actions. Aristotle believes that it is only possible to attain happiness within a political organization because happiness represents living well without being concerned with others, they solely live for the truth and not approval.

    Read More

  • French And Indian War Essay

    1145 Words  | 3 Pages

    The French and Indian war was a 7 year war. The war lasted from 1756 to 1763 it formed a chapter in the imperial struggle between Britain and France called the Second Hundred Years War. The French and Indian War resulted an ongoing tensions in North America and both French and British imperial officials and colonists wanted to extend each country’s province of influence in frontier regions. In 1753 the outbreak of hostilities Great Britain controlled 13 colonies in the Appalachian Mountains. The Anglo American colonists and the Iroquois Confederacy controlled most of upstate New York and parts of northern Pennsylvania. The border between French and British goods was not defined and one territory was the upper Ohio River valley. The French had constructed many forts in that region to strengthen their claim on territory. The war didn’t go good for the British. The British Government had General Edward Braddock go to the colonies for commander in chief of British North American forces. He disaffected Indian allies and colonial leaders which failed to cooperate with him.

    Read More

  • The French And Indian War

    1491 Words  | 3 Pages

    The French and Indian War or the Seven Years War was one of the major events that led to the American Revolution. The French and Indian War started in 1754 when George Washington and General Edward Braddock tried to defend the British land that they felt the French were taking with their expansion into the Ohio River valley. In 1755 Governor William Shirley of Massachusetts had many French settlers in the Nova Scotia region moved from that region to avoid any confrontation if these settlers sided with their home country. These people were exiled from their home and moved into British colonies in a very cruel and violent fashion. This is one of the first examples of Britain’s oppressive nature towards people they consider a threat to what they feel is the best solution. The British military effort, at this time, was not as impassioned or successful. Both George Washington and General Braddock suffered major defeats at the hands of the French and their allies, General Braddock was even killed in one of the early battles before this war was officially started. It was not until later in the war that the British were able to successfully defeat the French. The war officially began in 1756 and ended in 1763 but this war is far less important than the major event it caused. More than anything this war was the first step to the American Revolution.

    Read More

  • An Analysis of Batman Based on Aristotle's Virtue

    1468 Words  | 3 Pages

    The virtues defined by Aristotle consist of two extremes or vices, the excess and the deficiency. The mean or the intermediate between the excess and the deficiency is the virtue. One virtue Aristotle explains is bravery, with its vices being rashness and cowardice. Each aspect of these is contrary to the others, meaning that the intermediate opposes the extreme. Similarly, one extreme opposes the mean and its other extreme. The implications of this are that the excess opposes the deficiency more than the mean. This causes the mean to sometimes resemble its neighboring extreme. Obtaining the mean involves the challenge of being excellent. The challenging part, however, is “doing it to the right person, in the right amount, at the right time, for the right end, and in the right way” (Nicomachean Ethics 1109a28-29:29). Fortunately, one can steer themselves to the mean if one is conscious of the extreme they are naturally inclined to go towards. Since everybody is uniquely different the means by which one steers themselves in the right direction is different for each individual. In addition, Aristotle names three requirements for an action to be a virtue. First one must be cons...

    Read More

  • George Washington

    2461 Words  | 5 Pages

    Washington played an important role in the struggles preceding the outbreak of the French and Indian War. He was chosen by Lieutenant Governor Robert Dinwiddie of Virginia to deliver an ultimatum calling on French forces to cease their encroachment in the Ohio River valley. The young messenger was also instructed to observe the strength of French forces, the location of their forts, and the routes by which they might be reinforced from Canada. After successfully completing this mission, Washington, then a lieutenant colonel, was ordered to lead a militia force for the protection of workers who were building a fort at the Forks of the Ohio River. Having learned that the French had ousted the work party and renamed the site Fort Duquesne, he entrenched his forces at a camp named Fort Necessity and awaited r...

    Read More

  • French And Indian War

    1218 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ent was a fight between three nations, and until the late 18th century it was not at all certain which one would win. The Indians, especially the Five nations of the Iroquois, were exceptionally good at playing the French and the English against each other in order to maximize their own benefits. The French and Indian War was a guerrilla war of small skirmishes and surprise attacks. The terrain was unfamiliar to both the French and the English; the involvement of the Indian nations as allies in battle made an enormous difference. In fact, some historians have hypothesized that the turning point in the war came when many of the Indian nations changed their war policies and turned their backs on the French. Faced with the greater resources of the British and lacking the advantage of their Indian allies, the French were left with little hope, and soon lost the continent.

    Read More

  • The French and Indian War

    1380 Words  | 3 Pages

    The French and Indian War involved two rival countries that were constantly competing to be the international superpower: France and England.1 Prior to the war, France’s colonial territory encompassed Louisiana, the Mississippi Valley, the Great Lakes, and parts of Canada. Britain’s colonial territory consisted of the 13 colonies, which contained northern New York, northern Pennsylvania, and much of the Appalachian Mountains.2 France attempted to expand their colonial empire in North America by increasing their territory into the upper Ohio River valley.3 Thus, inevitable conflict arose between France and Britain as British colonies objected to France’s expansion. In objection, the British colonial forces were led by George Washington in an attack on the French, unofficially beginning the French and Indian War.4 The young George Washington led his troops in to battle at Fort Duquesne. Washington and his troops were forced to surrender, angering British Prime Minister ...

    Read More

  • Aristotle's Doctrine of the Mean

    1010 Words  | 3 Pages

    For Aristotle the doctrine of the mean is a way to categorize (one of his favorite activities) moral virtue; however, there are some exceptions, as Aristotle noted, leaving a gap that must be filled. The doctrine is very helpful and does work, but one must beware the exceptions and carefully contemplate for himself whether these things are so.

    Read More

  • Julia Annas Approach To Virtue Ethics

    634 Words  | 2 Pages

    1) Explain the role of defect and excess, and intermediate/mean in Aristotle’s definition of virtue to someone outside the class. Write about what happens.

    Read More

  • Good Citizen vs. Good Man

    568 Words  | 2 Pages

    Consequently, if indeed there are several kinds of constitution, it is clear that there cannot be a single virtue that is the virtue-of a good citizen. But the good man, we say, does express a single virtue: the complete one. Evidently, then, it is possible for someone to be a good citizen without having acquired the virtue expressed by a good man" (1276b). What Aristotle doesn't tell us is who is better off. Is it sufficient to be the good citizen or is it definitely more satisfying to be the good man? The good man is recognizably superior to the good citizen. The good man possesses everything that is good. He does what is just and what is just is beneficial to himself and to those around him. His soul is completely well-ordered and, therefore, cannot allow for his desires to take over and commit evil or injustice of any kind.

    Read More

More about The Doctrine of the Mean in Aristotles Politics

Open Document