Virtues

is altruism magnanimity? that is the most important

it encompasses generosity but also implies a general broad-mindedness and unwillingness to be overwhelmed by petty details. so like, a lack of resentment is part of this virtue as well.

as aristotle understood it, a "great-souled" magnanimous man could be conceited, even as he was simultaneously generous:

He that claims less than he deserves is small-souled...For the great-souled man is justified in despising other people—his estimates are correct; but most proud men have no good ground for their pride...It is also characteristic of the great-souled man never to ask help from others, or only with reluctance, but to render aid willingly; and to be haughty towards men of position and fortune, but courteous towards those of moderate station...He must be open both in love and in hate, since concealment shows timidity; and care more for the truth than for what people will think; and speak and act openly, since as he despises other men he is outspoken and frank, except when speaking with ironical self-depreciation, as he does to common people...He does not bear a grudge, for it is not a mark of greatness of soul to recall things against people, especially the wrongs they have done you, but rather to overlook them...Such then being the Great-souled man, the corresponding character on the side of deficiency is the Small-souled man, and on that of excess the Vain man.

it is a strange and contradictory virtue. aristotle juxtaposes the magnanimous man with the "vain man" and yet the man he describes seems vain to me.

i voted magnificence on the assumption it meant fabulousness but it seems to be something more like charity or philanthropy which is less exciting

yeah, it's specifically like philanthropy that tends toward the grandiose, like building a museum or hospital

this is a good resource

https://www.cwu.edu/~warren/Unit1/aristotles_virtues_and_vices.htm

the most interesting part of the nicomachean ethics is that each of these virtues is on a scale. too much of a good thing becomes a vice. and too little is also a vice. this is a conception of morality that is rooted in an ideal of balance. so like, selflessness of any sort -- even for a great cause -- would not be considered virtuous. martyrs a no-go.

I see a list of things in that link, but can't click on them

Voted for magnanimity. That link is pretty fun!

xp they're not clickable but you can see what they mean kinda by comparing the "mean" -- or the "virtue" -- to what the quality is called when it is either lacking or in excess

Liberality is the one I really don't understand.

i think magnanimity and liberality are related. if you are poor, you can be "liberal" in your spending and sharing which is a virtue. but only the rich can be magnanimous, or generous in the grand sense.

aristotle did not believe that all the virtues were open to everyone. his notion of virtue was elitist by definition. this is really different from other conceptions -- like the stoics and way later the thomists both espoused virtue ethics that were theoretically available to anyone

Let us speak next of liberality. It seems to be the mean with regard to wealth; for the liberal man is praised not in respect of military matters, nor of those in respect of which the temrate man is praised, nor of judicial decisions, but with regard to the giving and taking of wealth, and especially in respect of giving. Now by 'wealth' we mean all the things whose value is measured by money. Further, prodigality and meanness are excesses and defects with regard to wealth; and meanness we always impute to those who care more than they ought for wealth, but we sometimes apply the word 'prodigality' in a complex sense; for we call those men prodigals who are incontinent and spend money on self-indulgence. Hence also they are thought the poorest characters; for they combine more vices than one. Therefore the application of the word to them is not its proper use; for a 'prodigal' means a man who has a single evil quality, that of wasting his substance; since a prodigal is one who is being ruined by his own fault, and the wasting of substance is thought to be a sort of ruining of oneself, life being held to depend on possession of substance.

Voted truthfulness.

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Lol i completely forgot I made this

we're not letting you off that easily ;)

modesty because i don't want people to see my wee-wee

what did you vote for, treeship?

What, no 'fabulousness'?

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I was going to vote for Patience, but the poll was taking too long to close.

:)

Dos equis most interesting man in the world vibes