What signifies a noble, valuable and satisfying life? Aristotle says that good life comes with the implementation of virtues ideas. By definition, Aristotle states that virtue entails the act of attaining excellence and having the ability to know good and righteous and be able to accordingly (Foot, 2002). That virtue is a state of character that is helpful in achieving a satisfactory and happy life, which, according to Aristotle is a life with reason.
Doctrine of the mean
The mean between two extremes could be explained as a balance between two opposing thoughts. Is virtue a mean that is intended to end up with an intermediate decision between good and bad? For example, courage is a balance between being a coward and becoming reckless. Some might consider a coward to be a warrior who runs away from the battlefield while a reckless warrior being on one who attacks alone 100 enemy soldiers. On the aspect traits like courage are considered a moral virtue that leads to a good life, but on the extreme side, there are vices that are considered unrighteous for example being greedy, insensitive or murder.
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Aristotle says that “mean between two extremes “does not signify arithmetic mean, but rather a balance between two circumstances (Barnes, 2014). Giving an example of being angry at the right time for the right reason and with the right intensity should be brilliant. Does this show that "mean" only applies to virtues and not the vices? There have been some cases of murder where one could be justified to say it was self-defense depending on the ethical system. Aristotelian view of the mean involves having the ability to act in an intermediate way without too much or too little but just as the situation