Wrestling Match

I should give a proper introduction to book seven. It concerns a mystery that people are trying to solve even today. That is: Why doesn't everyone just do what is right?; and what holds people back from having the best life possible? There are theories floating around that blame environments, genes or chemistry. Aristotle addresses four moral states: virtue and vice; continence and incontinence. We have to be careful to look at these as states and not as particular persons. There is a tendency when addressing these subjects to judge ourselves and others. Remember judgment involves forcing things to be equal; to bring judgment. We aren’t forcing morals on anybody but just looking at behavior.

Let’s summarize the moral states mentioned before going into particulars. We have discussed virtue and vice quite a bit already. They have varying degrees and particulars. But ideally, virtue involves having the habit of making the right decisions and actions. Vice on the other hand makes bad decisions and is convinced that what they are doing isn't a problem. Continence is more about the part of us called self-restraint. A person who is incontinent knows wants to do what is right but doesn't have the strength to do it. The reason these states are listed separately is that virtuous acts done by a person who is predisposed by habits or personality don’t require self-control. A person who is immersed in vice isn't wrestling with his will. That leaves us with examining the mechanisms of self- control. We have touched on this on our last couple post and we will continue to take a closer look at these dynamics.