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Greek Philosophy: The Good Life Essay
" In other words, he philosopher advocates temperance, especially as far as emotion is concerned. This is combined with actions or "habits," as Aristotle terms them. A person who is temperate while also engaging in "good" activities or habits can then be said to be virtuous. It appears that this definition fits well with what could constitute "good" even in today's terms.
A person who would disagree with the above might argue that both my and Aristotle's definition of "good" and "virtue" is far too vague to have any valid application. Neither definition, for example, acknowledges cultural variation in terms of what might constitute "virtue." A person from the Far East, for example, might consider it virtuous to obey one's parents in everything, including one's choice of a bride. In Western culture, on the other hand, and by the above definition, it is decidedly "bad" to make one's children miserable by choosing a life partner for them. Such a choice would not be based upon love, but rather on social or financial status, which is considered to be less noble than making a choice for love. In this argument, therefore, the entire concept of virtue is flexible, even when consisting of the requirement that others must not be harmed. The same action could, for example, be considered harmful or virtuous, depending upon one's viewpoint. How could one therefore argue that there is any single definition of virtue, and especially one that is thousands of years old? The answer is that there is not, because cultures and individuals have their own individual concepts of these.
In response, I would say that this is precisely what Aristotle meant by himself giving a somewhat vague definition of virtue. His ideas are a guideline that can be applied within any human relationships. Between an Eastern parent and child, for example, the virtue of temperance is involved when the son or daughter accepts the parents' choice of life partner. As long as all parties are in agreement regarding this tradition, I do not see any harm. It is when conflict arises that the virtue of the tradition may be questioned. Even in such a case, however, virtue can extend beyond the "habit" of tradition and culture. A Japanese daughter, for example, may fall in love with a person other than her parents' choice. By communicating, the family may come to an compromise regarding this attachment, which everyone finds acceptable. Harm is therefore minimized or eliminated altogether. I would therefore argue that a universal definition of virtue should be both vague and flexible in order to apply to the specific actions or habits considered to be virtuous in different cultures.
In conclusion, I believe Aristotle provides us as citizens of the world today with excellent guidelines regarding how to live a virtuous or "good" life. Even though these philosophies are centuries old, the fact that they are somewhat vague makes them a good platform for creating more specific systems of ethical behavior. I am therefore in agreement with the way in which his philosophy arrives at a definition of a "good…
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