Book 2 / Chapter 3
Paragraph 1 - Pleasure, Pain, and Moral Character
Explanation - Part By Part
"We must take as a sign of states of character the pleasure or pain that ensues on acts; for the man who abstains from bodily pleasures and delights in this very fact is temperate, while the man who is annoyed at it is self-indulgent, and he who stands his ground against things that are terrible and delights in this or at least is not pained is brave, while the man who is pained is a coward."
Aristotle is pointing out that you can recognize a person's character by observing how they react emotionally—through pleasure or pain—when they act. A temperate person, for instance, feels satisfaction or joy in resisting excessive indulgence in physical pleasures, like overeating or drinking too much. On the other hand, someone who feels frustration or irritation when they have to hold back is self-indulgent. Similarly, a courageous person either takes pride or remains steady and unaffected when facing frightening situations, while a coward feels fear or discomfort in those same moments. Essentially, Aristotle is linking emotional responses (like pleasure or pain) to someone's moral state or character.
"For moral excellence is concerned with pleasures and pains; it is on account of the pleasure that we do bad things, and on account of the pain that we abstain from noble ones."
Aristotle is saying that our moral character is deeply tied to how we handle pleasure and pain. When we choose to act immorally or badly, it's often because we are chasing pleasure. On the other hand, we avoid doing noble or virtuous things because they might involve discomfort or pain. Essentially, our natural tendency to seek pleasure and avoid pain often gets in the way of us living a virtuous life. Recognizing and managing this relationship between pleasure, pain, and our actions is key to developing moral excellence.
"Hence we ought to have been brought up in a particular way from our very youth, as Plato says, so as both to delight in and to be pained by the things that we ought; for this is the right education."
Aristotle is emphasizing the importance of early upbringing and education in shaping a person’s character. He argues that from a young age, we should be taught to take pleasure in what is good and virtuous and to feel discomfort or displeasure in what is harmful or wrong. This emotional alignment—feeling joy for the right reasons and pain for the right reasons—is critical for developing moral excellence and living a virtuous life. In essence, a proper education is not just about acquiring knowledge or skills but about training our emotional responses to align with what is noble and ethical.