Virtue, Habit, and the Priority of Action

Описание: Aristotle’s account of moral development relies on the fact that we can develop virtue through habit and consistent practice – virtue is not simply bestowed upon us by nature.

Yet, as we will see later in Book II, Aristotle is also committed to the idea that virtuous actions have a distinct character. A truly virtuous action doesn’t happen by chance or by accident. Such actions are the product of virtuous dispositions that have been deeply ingrained in us over time.

So, it is only through acting virtuously that we can develop a virtuous character. Yet, at the same time, it seems that we can only act virtuously in the first place provided we already have a virtuous character.

As such, we seem to be stuck in a circle – we cannot begin our quest for virtue because doing so seems to require that the quest has already been completed. In this video we will discuss this problem (which I term the Priority of Action Problem) and consider some possible solutions to it suggested by Aristotle in Book II, Chapter 1 of the Nicomachean Ethics.

0:00 – Introduction
2:02 – The Priority of Action Problem
4:38 – Can we learn virtue by doing?
9:41 – Can virtue be taught?

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For the pdf document used in this video see: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Jw8W...

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Below are previous lectures on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics:

(1) The Nature and Science of “the Good”:    • The Nature and Science of “the Good”  
(2) Happiness, Eudaimonia, and Flourishing:    • Happiness, Eudaimonia, and Human Flourishing  
(3) The Function Argument:    • The Function Argument  
(4) Aristotle on Happiness and External Goods:    • Aristotle on Happiness and External Goods  
(5) Happiness, Death, and a Complete Life:    • Happiness, Death, and a Complete Life  

This video is a supplement to the lecture entitled “Aristotle on the Origin of Moral Virtue” that is linked below.

(6) Aristotle on the Origin of Moral Virtue:    • Aristotle on the Origin of Moral Virtue