Book 3 / Chapter 5
Paragraph 9 - Courage and the Nature of Virtue
Explanation - Part By Part
"Let us take up the several virtues, however, and say which they are and what sort of things they are concerned with and how they are concerned with them; at the same time it will become plain how many they are."
Aristotle is shifting the focus of his discussion here. After having laid the groundwork for understanding virtues in a broad sense—what they are, how they function, and their connection to our choices—he’s now signaling that he’ll go into the specifics. He plans to explore the individual virtues one by one, detailing what each virtue is about, the situations they relate to, and how they operate in practice. Essentially, he’s preparing to move from the general theory of virtues to a more detailed exploration of the different types of virtues and their characteristics.
"And first let us speak of courage."
Aristotle is transitioning now from a general discussion of virtues (what they are and how they function) to a closer analysis of specific virtues. He’s starting with courage, which will serve as the first example. Essentially, he’s laying the groundwork to explore what courage is, the kind of situations it deals with, and how it operates as a virtue. This marks the beginning of a more detailed and systematic breakdown of individual virtues, moving from theory to practical discussion.