Aristotle(NE) Voluntary Action essays

Aristotle(NE) Voluntary Action essays Human beings must learn over time how to be virtuous by always aiming at what is good. By habituating themselves into this thought process, virtue of character can developed. A person that has virtue of character will aim at what is good and will choose the proper activity to reach this end. To determine whether or not a person has virtue of character, we must study his voluntary actions. Aristotle believes that a voluntary action is composed of wish, deliberation, and decision. Because all human activity aims at an end, we must first desire a plausible end to achieve; a human being can only wish for something in which he is the principle actor. As human beings, we perceive this end that we desire to be good; therefore, we must contemplate the possible activities that can be embarked upon in order to achieve the chosen end. In this deliberation, a person should promote the activity that aims at the mean between excess and deficiency. We should aim for the mean because Aristotle says that virtue is contrary to vice and would lie in the middle of these two extremes. The last part of voluntary action is decision. This is the beginning of an action and the direct result of the wish and deliberation. Aristotle states that decision, like deliberation, is about what promotes ends and not the ends. He also says that not all wishes and deliberation result in a decision. This is because a person that acts on spirit or appetite has not made a decision but rather is acting on an irrational desire. For an activity to be considered virtuous, a person must also wish for the proper end. This would be an end that is an actual good as opposed to an end that is an apparent good. Most people mistake an apparent good for an actual good because they derive pleasure from it. This is faulty thinking though because what is perceived as pleasurable to a person is not necessarily what is good for him. Therefore, the action cannot be conside...