Manipulating the Golden Mean

As rational, political, and social animals, Aristotle asserts our personal objectives, for well-balanced lives, naturally gravitate towards our intentions towards society, our personal knowledge and happiness, and the induction theory of God. However, Aristotle maintains that our ultimate goal is happiness, and our happiness depends on our virtue. In a roundabout way, our virtue ethics involve our character, and if we possess good character, we will behave ethically, and, for the most part, happiness determines our ethics. Moreover, in order to be truly happy, we must consider the long term rather than the short term. Short term happiness revolves around irrational desire; whereas, long term happiness allows us to fulfill our life’s purpose. Therefore, we come to long term happiness by exercising our rational ability and acting virtuously. Although, we must knowingly act virtuously because it is only deliberate and conscious acts that help us to develop virtue. Therefore, Aristotle asserts our virtue and our happiness depend on one another to survive, so we must strive for the Golden Mean and balance our rational abilities and our irrational desires. 

Because our happiness depends on our virtue, it seems we have to be relatively aware of what our virtues are. A first impression may suggest our virtues are subjective. However, while Aristotle does not specifically define what our virtues are, he emphasizes we should develop our intellectual virtues such as science, or the “demonstrative knowledge of the necessary and the eternal” (The Nicomachean Ethics 140) through education, and we should cultivate our moral virtues such as justice through our course of actions. Regardless, Aristotle stresses we should exercise our intellectual virtues and moral virtues, but practice moderation and self-discipline. Wendy N. Wyatt, author of the essay “Being Aristotelian: Using Virtue Ethics in an Applied Media Ethics Course, argues that the “golden mean is not about doing; it’s about being. Character traits—or virtues—are represented by the golden mean, not behaviors” (297).  In other words, the Golden Mean involves moderation and self-discipline, but it requires our inner balance. For example, if we devote our lives to obtaining the highest degree of wealth and education, but we ignore our inner feelings, we will never reach the Golden Mean. Instead, we have to moderate our actions and practice discipline in our emotions, so that way we have a balance between success, knowledge, and character. Specifically, the Golden Mean allows us to cultivate a virtuous character and live happy lives.

In particular, Aristotle emphasizes prudence allows us to practice what is best for us and, at the same time, it is a means for our long-term happiness. Essentially, prudence is a kind of self-knowledge that leads us to know what is best for ourselves. John Milliken, author of  the essay “Aristotle’s Aesthetic Ethics,” emphasizes that “Virtuous people not only act the right way, but they do so for the right reasons and with the proper accompanying emotions” (321). In other words, while our prudence is not a part of our empirical scientific knowledge, we base it on what we believe is best for human beings overall. Therefore, prudence also concerns itself with action and our end result. Because we have to consider the long term in order to be truly happy, prudence seems to be the virtue we must develop the most. 

Consequently, it seems if we want to know happiness, we have to manipulate our virtues. Our virtues consist of our characters and personalities, but as we examine our virtues, we consider our well-being and society’s acceptance. Essentially, we must be virtuous and moral people to be happy, but our happiness relies on society because our contentment needs society’s praise. In our modern society, Aristotle’s view may border on dependence. Today, we welcome our independence, and we do not often rely on others for praise unless it is someone we determine as above us such as an employer, parent, or instructor. Similarly, Aristotle declares, in The Nicomachean Ethics, that "the soul of the student must first have been cultivated by means of habits for noble joy and noble hatred, like earth which is to nourish the seed" (270). This suggests Aristotle believes only nobles count in our quest for happiness and virtue because they nurture our intelligence.  In this way, it seems as long as we care for our superiors more than we would for anyone else, we develop our virtue. In that way, we manipulate our virtues to accept our superiors as the nurturers of our happiness. On the other hand, even though we need our societies or our superiors’ acceptance, we are responsible for our own happiness. 

However, at the same time, one needs to care about his or her society in order to fully develop as a person. Aristotle suggests our virtue only develops if we build solid relationships with others. While our ethics depend on how we care for others, we may care for others in different ways. In other words, our care for others depends on specific relationships. Nevertheless, Aristotle suggests it is easy to care for family or lovers, so a true testament of a virtuous person depends on his or her ability to care for strangers. Incidentally, John Milliken reminds us “that the virtuous person acts for the sake of the noble” (321). After all, when one displays a virtuous character, it is a noble act in itself. Incidentally, it seems Aristotle believes only educated men are noble. At the same time, Aristotle claims that educated men are political animal in nature, so they are the only ones who are able to honors other's virtues because they rationalize that they will return the favor.  On the contrary, we may have difficult times because our souls consist of two sides, and, at times, the political animal must exert its dominance over its irrational desires. 

Our souls contain rational abilities and irrational desires, so we have to balance them in order to have a happy life.  Aristotle asserts in Nicomachean Ethics that our “rational principle…urges [us] aright and towards the best objects; [but our irrational desire] fights against and resists” our rational ability (26). Consequently, the rational part explicitly relates to virtue; however, our irrational part controls our basic desires, so it often conflicts with the rational part. As an example, Aristotle describes our soul as similar to paralyzed limbs. If we intend to move our limbs in one direction, they will naturally move to the opposite direction. In other words, our bodies recognize our impulsive natures may lead us off course, but our souls will not. Aristotle explains that “Whether [our souls] are separated as the parts of the body or of anything divisible are, or are distinct by definition but by nature inseparable, like convex and concave in the circumference of a circle, does not affect” our need to recognize our irrational and rational proponents (Nicomachean Ethics 25). Aristotle’s explanation reveals the two parts of our souls will naturally fit together, but each may have a different direction. For example, a convex polygon has an angle that points outward while a concave polygon’s angle points inward. Perhaps our irrational desires are much like a convex polygon because the angle suggests an arrow. Essentially, the arrow points to a specific direction. On the other hand, the concave polygon implies reaching within itself. Our rational abilities exist within ourselves because they involve our ability to think and to reason. In essence, the concave polygon is a symbol of our inner thoughts while the convex polygon is a symbol of what we see before us. If we can manipulate the two polygons to face in opposite directions, they will fit. Regardless, it is still a balance we have to maintain because we need both angles to remain the same size. 

In addition to two counterparts, our soul encases three capacities that allow us to act, understand various perceptions, and desire. It is the liberal man who has control over these portions. Aristotle explains that “the liberal man will spend what he ought and as he ought; and it is these matters that the greatness implied in the name of the magnificent man…is manifested” (Nicomachean Ethics 87). Once again, Aristotle emphasizes prudence. Prudence will allow us to find happiness, and happiness is our greatest good. Incidentally, it seems Aristotle refutes Plato’s initial belief that the educated would aspire to do more in life. Specifically, Plato emphasizes that educated people would continue to pursue the “best good” because they believe all their good deeds would culminate in an ultimate good. In this way, Aristotle seems to contradict himself by disregarding the educated, but, in a way, one may take that as his own manipulation between rationality and irrationality. Regardless, it seems that Aristotle’s main objective was to teach others to view the community as a whole instead of separate people. 

In order to become virtuous people, we must consider our community. It is a grand reward because if we decide to live virtuous lives, we will experience the greatest form of happiness. In essence, we all want to be happy, so it seems if we are virtuous as well, our lives’ road will lead us to the greatest happiness. Therefore, we manipulate our nature by focusing on our decisions’ outcome. Every time we make a decision, we should speculate how it will end. If our outcome is a satisfactory end, we will be happy. Subsequently, if our outcome is negative, it was due to a bad decision we made along the way. Nevertheless, our goals must consider the community in order for a virtuous outcome because we all depend on one another in a way. As an illustration, if we are shoemakers, we consider the person who wears them. On the other hand, if the person wearing the shoes ran marathons for charity, their outcome is quite different. Perhaps Aristotle would consider the hypothetical shoemaker and marathon runner’s goals and declare that one was superior to the other, but they each had their own outcome and it was satisfactory for their individual futures.  

On the other hand, individuals do tend to have their own definition of what is the “ultimate good,” but it is usually when we imagine what else we can gain. To illustrate, if a literary journal accepted a new author’s publication, the author would feel like he or she achieved a goal. However, the new author may imagine that the next goal is a short story. After the new author crafts his or her short story, and publishers place it on the shelves, the next goal is to write a novel. While this implies direction and prudence, it also suggests we may never be satisfied. In addition, the constant want suggests our irrational desires are in control. Overall, we must remember to maintain our balance. 

At the same time, we must realize that there is not a universal solution to maintaining balance. Our Golden Mean will vary from person to person. Nonetheless, Aristotle was certain each political person had the capability for reason, so it seems we all have our own ingredients for well-balanced and virtuous lives. Much like there is not a universal solution, there is not a universal definition for happiness because happiness is subjective. What feeds one irrational desire may not feed another. Similarly, what seems like a rational decision at one time may seem quite different in the future. Regardless, the virtuous person may try to avoid irrational decisions all together, but he or she must realize to maintain his or her balance and acknowledge both the rational ability to understand the irrational desire, and the irrational desire’s ability to fuel the ability because we need both to maintain happy lives. 

Works Cited

Joachim, Harold H. Aristotle : The Nicomachean Ethics. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). 

Milliken, John. "Aristotle's Aesthetic Ethics." Southern Journal of Philosophy 44.2 (2006): 319-339. Academic Search Premier. 

Wyatt, Wendy N. "Being Aristotelian: Using Virtue Ethics in An Applied Media Ethics Course." Journal of Mass Media Ethics 23.4 (2008): 296-307. Communication & Mass Media Complete.