Book 3 / Chapter 8
Paragraph 1 - The Nature and Types of Courage
Explanation - Part By Part
"Virtue too is distinguished into kinds in accordance with this difference; for we say that some of the virtues are intellectual and others moral, philosophic wisdom and understanding and practical wisdom being intellectual, liberality and temperance moral."
In this part, Aristotle is explaining that the virtues we develop as human beings fall into two broad categories: intellectual virtues and moral virtues.
- Intellectual virtues are related to the mind and how we think and reason. They include things like philosophic wisdom (deep understanding of fundamental truths), understanding (grasping concepts and ideas), and practical wisdom (being able to make good decisions in everyday life).
- Moral virtues, on the other hand, are about our character and behavior. These include qualities like liberality (being generous) and temperance (being self-controlled and not giving in to excess).
This distinction highlights that being a good person requires both thinking well (intellectual development) and acting well (moral behavior). Both aspects are important, but they involve different areas of human life and growth.
"For in speaking about a man's character we do not say that he is wise or has understanding but that he is good-tempered or temperate; yet we praise the wise man also with respect to his state of mind; and of states of mind we call those which merit praise virtues."
Aristotle is making a distinction about how we describe people and praise their qualities. When we talk about someone's character, we often focus on their emotions or behavior, such as being calm (good-tempered) or self-controlled (temperate). These are moral qualities, linked to how someone acts or reacts in life. However, we also praise a person's intellect — for example, if someone is wise or has good understanding — but this is related to their thinking ability, not necessarily their character.
Now, here's the key point: virtues (in general) are those qualities of the mind or soul — whether moral (like temperance) or intellectual (like wisdom) — that are considered praiseworthy. Virtue isn't just about what you do (moral actions) or how you think (intellectual abilities); virtue encompasses both, as long as those qualities are admirable and contribute to living well.