Walking with Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics III.6-9

The first thriving of character that Aristotle discusses at length is courage. Why?

To start with, we mustn’t forget the cultural and historical context: that of small city-states plagued by endemic warfare (e.g., Athens and Megara, 40km apart, were in conflict on and off for centuries). For good reason, the Greek word ἀνδρεία means both courage and manliness: if the menfolk did not demonstrate bravery in battle, a town could be destroyed, with the men likely killed and the women and children sold into slavery. For the ancients, courage was serious business.

More fundamentally, courage illustrates a number key points that Aristotle wishes to make about human character:

• Because it is possible not only to fall short of “hitting the target” in human behavior but also to overshoot it, an excellence of character has not one opposite, but two. For instance, courage is opposed not only to cowardice but also to rashness.
• Human beings thrive not only in their actions but also in their feelings and emotions. For instance, true courage isn’t merely a matter of acting bravely but also of experiencing the right amounts of fear and confidence in threatening situations. Indeed, the courageous person faces even the risk of a noble death with a feeling of tranquility, at least within human limits (there are certain dangers that no one should be expected to face without disturbance).
• Behaviors come with reasons and thoughts and accounts attached, and those matter. For instance, it’s not true courage if you appear to act bravely merely because you want to avoid a court-martial, or because you’re forced to do so, or because you’re so experienced that nothing fazes you, or because you’re naturally high-spirited, or because you have unrealistic levels of self-confidence, or because you’re totally oblivious to the dangers you face.
• The correct reason or thought or account (ὀρθός λόγος) for an action-plus-feeling is that it is the beautifully right (καλός) thing to do, or that not to do it would be repulsively wrong (αἰσχρός). Yes, these phrases are charged with ethical and aesthetic significance, because that’s how Aristotle sees the realm of human affairs.
• For the person of good character who takes life seriously (and who by that very fact has strong reasons for loving their own existence), the prospect of losing their life in battle is far from pleasant; yet even this can be enjoyable in a way, if one is committed to and stays focused on the purpose or completion (τέλος) of the activity (ἐνέργεια), i.e., on doing what is beautifully right.
• The purpose or completion of an activity is directed by the relevant character trait (κατὰ τὴν ἕξιν), which means it is also directed by the commitments and thought processes underlying that trait, since (as we will see in Book VI) it is not possible to be completely good without also having attained some measure of wisdom (φρόνησις). Moreover, acquiring a trait involves not only wisdom but also deep commitment (προαίρεσις) and, as he says at the end of III.2, “commitment is accompanied by an account (μετὰ λόγου) and by thinking things through (διάνοια)”.

That’s a lot to squeeze into three short chapters! We’ll see Aristotle build upon these insights as he works his way through the other virtues, starting in III.10-12 with moderation.