Life is full of tough decisions. These decisions that we face lead us to actions that represent our characters. Thankfully, we have the remarkable philosophies from Aristotle to help lead us on the right path to a happy life. In these two cases, it is easy to argue the most ethical solution in a variety of ways. When analyzing the details of these particular situations, I think that Aristotle would agree these actions are the most virtuous to do.
In the case where I am secretly a Jew working for a prejudiced bookshop owner, I think that the right course of action is to defend the Jewish people but not admit that I am a Jew. This way, I am still holding onto my beliefs, yet protecting myself. For example, I could argue that I had wonderful Jewish friends who I deeply miss and that it is unfair to blame them for Europe’s misfortunes. It is crucial to be respectful of
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Aristotle thinks that most people, “take refuge in theory and think they are being philosophers and will become good,” by doing good actions when they do not want to, yet these actions only appear virtuous. Aristotle would claim that giving money to a friend to seem like a good friend may appear like a good act, but it is not. In chapter 4 of Book II, he claims that in order for an act that appears virtuous to actually be virtuous: “The agent also must be in a certain condition when he does them; in the first place he must have knowledge, secondly he must choose the acts, and choose them for their own sakes, and thirdly his action must proceed from a firm and unchangeable character.” So, if by any means, Kevin feels pressured to help his friend and truly does not want to lend the money, then he should not. Although generosity is a virtue and stinginess a vice, I do not think withholding the money is stingy because Kevin did not initially offer