In my post the other day about Aristotle’s discussion of courage, I neglected to mention the restricted reference of his definition: roughly speaking, he says that the character trait of courage enables you to feel the appropriate level of fear and confidence when confronted with the possibility of dying in battle. It’s true that heContinue reading “Varieties of Courage”
Category Archives: Character
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 bothContinue reading “Walking with Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics III.6-9”
Virtue and Happiness
One of Aristotle’s signature claims in ethics is that virtue and happiness go hand in hand. To our ears this sounds questionable at best, because we think of virtue as a matter of following rules and doing your duty, whereas we think of happiness as a matter of having fun and experiencing pleasure. “Do yourContinue reading “Virtue and Happiness”
Crafty
Aristotle is well-known for having pioneered our vocabulary of potentiality and actualization. An especially meaningful form of human potentiality or capacity is what he calls a hexis: a stable, voluntarily acquired trait that, when applied, results in reliable activity of a certain kind. Aristotle identifies three such primary traits in human life: virtue or excellenceContinue reading “Crafty”
Truth, Goodness, Beauty
As I’ve noted before, the unity of truth, good, and beauty is close to the heart of the Socratic-Platonic-Aristotelian tradition. That’s because the highest thing we can know or understand is not the world or even ourselves, but the good. Socrates realized this when he turned away from natural philosophy to the consideration of humanContinue reading “Truth, Goodness, Beauty”
Overcoming Savagery
A human being, when completely developed, is the best of animals — but, when separated from law and justice, is the worst of them all … without virtue, a human being is the most unholy and most savage of animals. Aristotle, Politics II.2 The genocidal atrocities committed last weekend against Israeli citizens by thousands ofContinue reading “Overcoming Savagery”
Tao Te Ching §56: One with the Way
Following up on my previous renderings of chapter 1 and chapter 11 of the Tao Te Ching, here is my initial attempt at chapter 56: Those who know don’t sayThose who say don’t know Close the mouthShut the doorBlunt the edgeLoose the knotDim the glareJoin the dustBe one with the Way Reach this and you’ll beNeitherContinue reading “Tao Te Ching §56: One with the Way”
Washington’s Wisdom
Recently I carved out time to read Ron Chernow’s 800-page biography of George Washington. We tend to have only vague notions about Washington, but Chernow’s biography truly brings him to life. Far from being the wooden, mythical figure we imagine, Washington was a man of great passions and strong emotions, which he worked hard toContinue reading “Washington’s Wisdom”
Mind the Gap
In my recent post about discovering the best we can do, I mentioned the inevitability of a gap between the ideal and the real, especially for those who have high standards of personal behavior. This leads to the question: how do you figure out where you fall short? In my experience this isn’t always easy,Continue reading “Mind the Gap”
Certainty
In my post the other day about the examined life, I observed that some people are certain about their answers to the great questions of life. By contrast, those of a Socratic bent typically doubt that certainty is likely or even possible. The standard rejoinder is this: “It sounds like you’re certain that certainty isContinue reading “Certainty”
Peter Saint-Andre, Philosopher-Coach 