Book 3 / Chapter 5
Paragraph 4 - Voluntary Responsibility and the Development of Character
Explanation - Part By Part
"But perhaps a man is the kind of man not to take care. Still they are themselves by their slack lives responsible for becoming men of that kind, and men make themselves responsible for being unjust or self-indulgent, in the one case by cheating and in the other by spending their time in drinking bouts and the like; for it is activities exercised on particular objects that make the corresponding character."
This part points out that even if a person has developed a habit of "not taking care" or being irresponsible, they are still accountable for becoming that kind of person. Aristotle argues that people shape their own character through their behaviors and choices. For instance, someone who becomes unjust does so through repeated acts of dishonesty, like cheating. Similarly, someone who becomes self-indulgent cultivates that trait by habitually engaging in activities like excessive drinking or partying. Essentially, it’s our repeated actions, directed at specific things, that mold who we are as individuals. This emphasizes personal responsibility: we are not born with such traits but develop them through how we choose to live.
"This is plain from the case of people training for any contest or action; they practise the activity the whole time. Now not to know that it is from the exercise of activities on particular objects that states of character are produced is the mark of a thoroughly senseless person."
Aristotle is making a simple but powerful observation here. He’s pointing out that the habits and activities we repeatedly engage in actively shape who we are as people—our character. If someone trains for a sport or a skill, they spend a lot of time practicing it, right? Through practice, they build the necessary expertise and readiness. Similarly, our moral character is built by the actions we choose and consistently perform. If someone fails to recognize this cause-and-effect relationship between actions and character, Aristotle thinks that shows a lack of basic understanding or good sense. In other words, it’s common sense: what you do repeatedly is what you become.
"Again, it is irrational to suppose that a man who acts unjustly does not wish to be unjust or a man who acts self-indulgently to be self-indulgent. But if without being ignorant a man does the things which will make him unjust, he will be unjust voluntarily."
Aristotle is arguing that it makes no sense to claim that someone who repeatedly acts unjustly or self-indulgently doesn’t actually want to be that way. Our actions shape who we are. If someone knowingly and willingly continues to engage in behaviors that lead to being unjust—like cheating or taking advantage of others—they are actively choosing to become unjust. This means their unjust character is a result of their own deliberate, voluntary decisions. It’s not something that simply “happens” to them; they are participating in creating it.
"Yet it does not follow that if he wishes he will cease to be unjust and will be just. For neither does the man who is ill become well on those terms."
Aristotle is saying that just wishing to stop being unjust or immoral is not enough to actually change a person's character or behavior. He compares this to someone who is ill: a sick person doesn't magically become healthy just because they wish to be well. Action and effort are required to reverse entrenched habits or qualities, just as it takes deliberate care and treatment to recover from illness. This emphasizes that moral transformation requires more than a fleeting desire—it demands intentional, sustained effort over time.
"We may suppose a case in which he is ill voluntarily, through living incontinently and disobeying his doctors. In that case it was then open to him not to be ill, but not now, when he has thrown away his chance, just as when you have let a stone go it is too late to recover it; but yet it was in your power to throw it, since the moving principle was in you."
In this part, Aristotle is explaining the concept of responsibility for our actions and the consequences that follow from them. He uses the analogy of illness to make his point. If someone becomes sick because they chose to live recklessly—neglecting their health by overeating, ignoring their doctors, or engaging in unhealthy habits—then their illness is, in a sense, voluntary. At an earlier stage, they had the ability to avoid becoming ill by making better choices, but now that the damage is done, they can't simply decide to undo it.
He compares this to letting go of a stone: once you've thrown it, you can't take it back; the stone is already in motion. However, the initial decision to throw the stone was in your power. Similarly, the choices this person made in the past—to act irresponsibly—were within their control. The resulting illness became inevitable only because of those earlier voluntary actions.
Aristotle is emphasizing that while we have control over the choices that shape us and create our habits or dispositions (like health, justice, etc.), we may lose that control if we allow those choices to lead us too far down the wrong path.
"So, too, to the unjust and to the self-indulgent man it was open at the beginning not to become men of this kind, and so they are unjust and selfindulgent voluntarily; but now that they have become so it is not possible for them not to be so."
Aristotle is emphasizing personal responsibility here. He is saying that people who are unjust or self-indulgent made decisions earlier in their lives that led them to develop these traits. At the start, they could have chosen differently—they had the freedom to act in ways that wouldn’t result in them becoming unjust or self-indulgent. However, through repeated behaviors like cheating or giving in to excessive pleasures (habits formed by their choices), they essentially “trained” themselves into these undesirable characteristics.
Now, the key point: once someone has developed these negative traits, it becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible, for them to simply stop being that way on a whim. Their character has already been shaped by their past choices, just as bad health might result from years of unhealthy living. The possibility for change existed before the habits were firmly established, but now their nature has set in, limiting their ability to reverse the situation. This highlights the long-term consequences of our actions and the importance of making good decisions early in life to avoid forming destructive habits.