The Golden Mean Humanities Essay

Aristotle’s “Golden Mean” Aristotle considered ethics to be a “practical rather than theoretical study” (Aristotle on Virtue). He taught that virtue has to do with looking for the balance between extremes- the mean between excess and deficiency. The Golden Mean, as it was coined, is intended to help people identify which states of character are virtuous. The virtuous state of character is the appropriate way people feel and react to circumstances as opposed to over reacting or under reacting. He reasoned that as humans we have functions that are specific to humans and that those functions must land in the middle of reason and emotion. In order for there to be happiness in life, good character, or moral virtue, has to be obtained and the only way the soul can be happy is through the Golden Mean. The mean has three key elements that bring it together to make it “golden.” First, the person must be in a state of equilibrium. One’s character is at a balanced state and is neither extreme nor deficient. Equilibrium is making the right choices at the right time in the right place. The second element is basing that equilibrium around the individual rather than the whole. “Aristotle’s ethics are not a one-size-fits-all system; what he is looking for is the mean that is good for a particular individual” (New World Encyclopedia). What makes one person feel fulfilled may not make another feel the same. Every human is different and should base their mean off of one’s own self. The third element is that every virtue should fall between two vices. Virtue is similar to the mean in the fact that it is the balance between two vices. For example, if excess was on one end of a scale and deficiency on the other and virtue is the balance, moving closer to either vice causes negative consequences but if a person’s character is closer to the middle, the person receives positive feedback. These three elements together are necessary for a person to live a virtuous, and therefore, happy