Great!

The translation from the Greek that I like the best is that of W.D. Ross. I try to modernize some of the terms to make it understandable. 

The next subject has to do with what he termed magnificence or what we might call the uber-rich or ultra-liberal. Our focus is on someone who exceeds in benevolence ;  a person we would call a philanthropist. This person may have received wealth in different ways such as inheritance, successful businesses or a combination of these. But we are looking at how riches are spent. Of course the scale is relative; a person who has a lot will be able to do more.  This doesn’t discount those who have less means but are just as giving. A low income person can be a giver but we don’t call them a philanthropist. The term has to do with doing great things. It doesn’t include vulgar and showy spending. There are those of great means that are stingy and those who are big spenders for show; these are vices that we will address later.

A philanthropist is like an artist who looks for good tasteful things to spend his wealth on. As with a liberal person, he will make sure what he invests in goes to good use. He looks at the results more than how it might make him appear. It is based in honor in the same way as is common to all virtues. He does it without grudging and close calculation. It is his pleasure. Beauty is more important than cost. He doesn’t possess art due to its value since gold has value and is easier to store. He owns it for the beauty and that it inspires admiration. This kind of excellence is in all he invests, buildings, churches and public services. Everything he does is in large scale, honorable and good. Even in private occasions such as weddings, he makes sure it is one of the best around and that everyone enjoys it. He wants whatever he does to be the best available and also of the highest quality.

The excess of this is the big spender who spends more than what is right. He will have a tasteless showiness in all that he does. His purpose isn’t excellence but to show off his wealth. The honorable things are neglected and for a show he will overspend on entertainment. The miser of course will fall short in spending on everything. He will buy great things and let them decay. Everything is examined on how it can be done cheaply and he complains about the size and cost of what he does do. But he does recognize that public relations is important so he spends only to benefit his holdings. These states of character are vices but not a disgrace since they don’t hurt anyone.

So much for explaining the extremes of benevolence and possessiveness; we have looked at how we ought to behave by being liberal and and a philanthropist. I hope these writing are staying engaging. The next subject continues on this line of thought, it is the subject of Pride.