Bragging

Ethics is a study on how people can come together for reasonable interactions. Making sure each side feels the interaction is “just” is the goal.  But since every person is an individual with different interests, talents and needs, this can be a difficult task. We went over sections about recognizing character traits that make us honorable. By applying the right amounts of passions at the right times, we show good character. The last one was about popularity; what makes a person pleasant to be around. We looked at the right amount of directness for given situations and will proceed to where confidence works best.

When we talk about boasting, we consider it a bad trait. But we should be able to tell others when we have accomplishments. There is a kind of bragging that is proper. Nothing is wrong with being proud of yourself. A person who is overly timid can be annoying and isn't pleasant to be around. A braggart is someone who is claims to have done things that bring glory but they are exaggerated. It can be in numbers or the intensity of these deeds. The key then, is truth and falsehood in words and deeds. A timid person in this sense will always play things down and claim it wasn't a big deal; a kind of false humility. These extremes have to do with a personality and are normally harmless. The person just tends toward that kind of behavior and everyone understands it. But when there is an ulterior motive, it becomes a matter of truth and falsehood. This brings us to another realm: An honest man or a liar. Honesty is considered praiseworthy but dishonesty is despised: Especially when a person is boastful and takes credit for things he didn't do. It would follow that we will look at honesty in the next section.