Book 4 / Chapter 1
Paragraph 4 - The Errors of Prodigality and Meanness
Explanation - Part By Part
"The prodigal errs in these respects also; for he is neither pleased nor pained at the right things or in the right way; this will be more evident as we go on."
In this part, Aristotle is pointing out that the "prodigal" person—someone who spends excessively—doesn't have the right emotional reactions when it comes to giving or spending. Essentially, the prodigal person doesn't feel happiness or discomfort at the appropriate things or in the appropriate way. For Aristotle, having the proper emotional response to an action (e.g., feeling pleased when giving to the right people for noble reasons, or feeling pain when forced to act otherwise) is an important part of acting virtuously. The prodigal person lacks this sense of balance and proper judgment, which makes their actions flawed. Aristotle promises to elaborate on this idea further as he continues.
"We have said that prodigality and meanness are excesses and deficiencies, and in two things, in giving and in taking; for we include spending under giving."
Aristotle is clarifying that when discussing virtues and vices related to wealth, we are dealing with two main actions: giving and taking. These actions can include different forms, such as spending money (which he categorizes under "giving"). He points out that both prodigality (wastefulness) and meanness (stinginess) are imbalances—one going too far in some aspects (excess) and the other falling short (deficiency). In essence, Aristotle is framing his discussion of wealth-related behavior around these two core activities: how one gives and how one takes.
"Now prodigality exceeds in giving and not taking, while meanness falls short in giving, and exceeds in taking, except in small things."
Here, Aristotle is contrasting two extremes—prodigality (extravagance) and meanness (stinginess)—to explain how they deviate on the spectrum of virtue when it comes to handling wealth.
- Prodigality refers to being overly generous, to the point of giving too much. A prodigal person goes overboard in giving but does not take or acquire properly to balance it. Essentially, they are wasteful and careless with resources, acting more out of excess than thoughtful virtue.
- Meanness, on the other hand, is the opposite extreme. A mean person falls short in giving—they are stingy and reluctant to share or help others. They also go too far in taking or acquiring wealth, especially when it involves gaining from inappropriate or dishonorable sources. (The phrase "except in small things" hints at their pettiness—mean people might be excessively focused on insignificant gains rather than generous gestures.)
In essence, Aristotle is emphasizing that both prodigality and meanness fail to achieve the balanced "mean" of liberality. Prodigality errs by giving too much and taking too little, while meanness errs by giving too little and taking too much.