Virtue is essential to the maintenance of peace in society. In fact, lack thereof compromises the possibilities of having constructive relationships among community members thereby limiting good relations. With this in mind, it is worth acknowledging the fact that virtue and other ethical principles are continually learned and acquired through an individual’s life. Specifically, one cannot be classified to be an ethical being immediately after their birth without expressing some moral actions. These moral acts, however, are procedurally embraced as a person appreciates the moral teachings of the community and habitually practices through ethical actions. Aristotle argues that the two aspects of virtue, thought, and character, are acquired through education and consistent practice within the society. As such, there is no natural force determining an individual’s character or their perspectives on the dispensation of virtuous acts. This essay evaluates the validity of this rationale through the analysis of the reasoning Aristotle presents. For a fact, being virtuous cannot be obtained naturally, rather constant interaction with the society through teaching and habit leads one into embracing ethical principles.
The aspect of virtue through character exclusively obtained through long-term interaction with the community via learning. According to Aristotle (21), “none of the virtues of character come naturally since nothing natural can be habituated to be otherwise.” From this quote, one can determine that Aristotle had a firm belief that an individual could only be termed ethical through the nature of their actions and character. In fact, he believes that a person’s state of character is dynamic and largely dependent on the type of interaction he or she maintains with other people. He cites an example of how a stone is habituated to remain on the ground. However, one can change its position momentarily by thrusting it upwards against gravity. Additionally, placing it in a different environment conflicts the thought of the stone being made to remain on the ground. Similarly, one cannot have a natural position on virtue. In fact, none of the virtues upheld by people are forged by nature or against it. Rather, humans are naturally receptive of these qualities, and they are perfected through habit and procedural learning.
Virtue resulting from thought is acquired through teaching and communal interaction. If one were to assume that people are either born virtuous or unethical, it would be difficult to explain the change in character throughout a person’s life. According to Aristotle (22), “there would have been no need whatsoever of a teacher, but they would all have been born either good or bad at their craft.” With this claim, the philosopher intended to outline the thought differences upheld by people to the nature of training they receive in their lives. Specifically, if one is exposed to an environment where people value moral principles and prioritize being ethical, the individual would most likely embrace similar thoughts on virtue. However, when exposed to a different community, the converse character would be adopted. Therefore, Aristotle’s claim on thought being adopted through learning was made to dispute the notion of being ethical courtesy of nature.
In conclusion, Aristotle believes that upholding virtue in one’s life is an acquired quality that cannot be obtained naturally. Instead, people can be considered ethical when they learn the fundamental moral principles that define one’s character and thought. Through habit, an individual can polish his or her perspectives about being ethical. Therefore, virtue is embraced procedurally throughout an individual’s life and cannot be naturally obtained when one is born.
Works Cited
Aristotle. "Book II." N.p. N.p, n.d. 21-29. Print.
