Blog Assignment #1: Living a Virtuous Life
The reading is from Leading Lives that Matter, pp. 66 - 83.
Due as a comment under the blog assignment: Monday, August 31, at noon.
Length: a paragraph or two
Find a passage you particularly agree or disagree with and discuss why you do. You might want to consider how such behavior might influence your own actions. You might also show how Aristotle's words may have influenced or should have influenced your actions in the past.
For example, Aristotle defines a generous person as someone who "will give to the right people, the right amounts, at the right time . . . ." Who are the right people? If I give to the wrong people, is it possible that I might harm them in the long run? If I give to a person on the street who is asking for money, how do I know that he or she will not harm him or herself by spending the money self-destructively (by drinking, for example)? Should I give to that person? How much? I will eventually, when the time comes, write a couple of paragraphs trying to answer those questions -- or try to.
This is the place where you should post your paragraph(s) on this blog assignment.
ReplyDeleteBelow you'll find a sample.
DeleteIn his Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle defines a generous person as someone who "will give to the right people, the right amounts, at the right time . . . ." In theory, he has defined exactly the right things to do. However, in practice following his advice leads to many difficult decisions. I am constantly bombarded by requests for help from humanitarian and political groups. If I gave the "right amounts" to all of those very worthy causes, I would not be able to feed my family. If all of the causes that ask for my generosity are worthy of it, which ones do I choose?
ReplyDeleteHowever, some causes clearly are not worthy. How do I tell the difference? If a homeless person asks me for money on the street, how do I gauge whether he or she will spend the money wisely. Is the object to buy food? Is it alcohol? Am I simply enabling that person to live a dissipated lifestyle? Will my gift really help in some way to raise that person out of poverty and despair? Am I being conned? Or am I truly being helpful?
I don't know, but I give anyway. Have I given the correct amount. Aristotle adds one more criterion -- that the giver should "do this with pleasure, or at any rate without pain." My confusion produces no pleasure and a good deal of pain. Thus, by Aristotle's definition, I am not a generous person, even though I have tried to do the right thing.
I disagree with Aristotle when he says "...and, besides, everyone likes his own work more than [other people's]..." (78). In certain cases, when I am writing an essay or a poem or just free writing, I don't like my own writing and I prefer someone else's, especially when they are expressing the same sentiment that I am try to express. Typically when this happens, they are putting it into better terms than I am.
ReplyDeleteIn page 76 of the book “Leading Lives that Matter”, Aristotle gives us the characteristics of generosity. IN paragraph 3, he describes the person who gives away all his wealth as wasteful. If that would be the definition of such a person, I would disagree that that would make him basest. It could be that a wasteful person would have no morals but it would not be true in all cases. I admire people that are willing to give all their wealth to others. I wish I could be “self-destructive” in such a way were I would prefer giving my wealth to others than keeping it in my bank account. I do not consider someone that destroys himself by creating chances to others, as unmoral.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, someone “self-destructive” in that way would have the biggest property. For example, in my neighborhood a film director called Nikos Nikolaidis gave all his wealth to fix up schools that were in bad condition. When Nikolaidis passed away he had no property under his name. Nikolaidis is now considered a hero while he put my societies good, over his own wealth. In my eyes, he left life wealthy while he will be remembered by all of us that went to schools he renewed. According to Aristotelis definition, he would be considered wasteful. According to me, Nikolaidis would be a great example of a human to define generosity.
I appreciate the passage of “Generosity” particularly. In my point of view, generosity comes from compassion and sympathy of our heart. But the passage reminds me of “can a generous person be magnificent?” For me, “a generous person” is regarded to be a person who can figure out the intermediate between wastefulness and ungenerosity-he or she knows how to utilize his or her resources rationally. “The right people” can be divided into two types-people who need immediate help and people who need fund in the long run. Whether I may harm people or not in the long run depends on what resources I give to what kind of people. For instance, if students who desire to go on their education can’t gain funds, they may drop out of schools because of financial reason. If a vagrant need food or water and I don’t give these necessities, they may just disappear from the world. But if a person on the street is asking me for money, I may analyze whether they have the ability to earn money by themselves or not and then, in most cases, will choose to give them food and water instead of money.
ReplyDeleteThe passage I am picking to write about is on page 69. In this passage, Aristotle says “For what we do in our dealings with other people makes some of just, some unjust;”. When I read this, the old saying “You are what you eat” comes to mind. Now in a way more relatable to the text, it can be resaid as “You are what you do, or the activities you chose to participate in”. Basically what I believe Aristotle is saying is that if we were to repeat certain actions over and over again, those actions would begin to mold us into the person that we are. If we take part in the same activities time and time again, it would begin to create certain virtues. Often times too your surroundings and repetitive situations you find yourself in also has an effect. For instance, if as a kid you watched adults around you donate money to charity many times throughout your life, and you were taught to do so as well, you would most likely will become a generous person yourself. This is just a theory and it cannot be proven to be completely true but from my own life experiences I have often seen that is is. The main part of this passage that drew my attention to it was when Aristotle says “It is not unimportant then, to acquire one sort of habit or another, right from our youth”. This really stuck with me because many characteristics and virtues develop during one’s youth. As an education major and, hopefully, a future teacher I feel like it is my job to help my students develop positive habits that will result in many virtues.
ReplyDeleteThe passage that I have picked to comment upon is the one on generosity as well.I believe that the authors have a tunnel vision towards the meaning of generosity.The authors hold an indoctrinated and rather a simple view of generosity by saying that it has exclusively to do with the giving of wealth in moderation.That is simply false.Generosity has much more to it than the exchange of wealth.To be generous means not only to be magnanimous in giving people monetary gifts,but it can also mean to invest one's time,energy and patience in a noble cause.It does not have to be only wealth.In my view a great many people are generous even though they do not possess such wealth to give away.For example social workers,blood donors and in an elastic way even teachers.These individuals do not have their wealth to give away but rather their energy and time.
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion to the above paragraph,people's definition of generosity can vary significantly and thus there is no one specific person that can be labelled unanimously as being generous
In the passage, the author states "Virtue of character [i.e. of ethos] results from habit [ethos]; hence the name 'ethical'..." (68). It had me thinking about if we can have certain ethics or virtues of character without forming them through habit. Is it possible to have certain ethics without practicing them? I personally believe no. The saying "practice what you preach" has always really resonated with me. Without actually practicing these so called "ethics" they are not part of ones true virtue of character.
ReplyDeleteHabits are actions, but, are those actions part of our true virtue of character? Just because someone volunteers somewhere does that mean they truly want to be there based on there ethical beliefs or is it forced. This can also be seen with negative habits. So whats the difference between habit and true virtue of character?
On page 68, the passage “How a Virtue Character is Acquired” I agree with it because it is saying only the truth. You cannot be a virtuous individual by repeating the same bad habits. You have to perform the right activities consistently to become a virtuous person. We can understand what a virtuous person does, but we have to follow what they do and make it a habit so we can become one.
ReplyDeleteI always try to do right action within reason. I know I am still not a virtuous person because there are moments where I am not doing the right things and exposing myself to bad habits. I know one day I will make it a habit to only to right in this world and help the environment around me. This passage shows us the way to lead a fulfilling life with the support around us.
When reading these passages what I found the most interesting was "How a Virtue Character is Acquired". In page 69 it talks about how virtues are acquired by activating them. "We learn a craft by producing the same product that we must produce when we have learned it — becoming builders by building, and harpists by playing the harp. So also, then, we become just by doing just actions, temperate by doing temperate actions, brave by doing brave actions."
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Aristotle is saying. We become what we do. The more just actions we do the more just we become. It can be seen as a habit but it's not. The difference is that it is a virtue not a habit. It is something you desire and that becomes a moral thing to do. It is the qualities you want to be identified with.