10/8 Nicomachean Ethics II, 778-784; Robinson photocopy

Themes: Doctrine of the mean, the nature of virtue, specific virtues.

1. What does Aristotle mean when he states that virtue is a mean between two extremes? Is the mean identical for each person? Why or why not?

2. According to Aristotle, how is the experience of pleasure and pain relevant to the determination of whether someone is virtuous or merely continent?

3. How does Aristotle distinguish between merely acting virtuously and being truly virtuous. Why does this distinction help him to explain how we learn virtue through habitual action?