ETHICS

Aristotle is emphasizing here that a truly proud person, someone who rightly claims great honor, must also embody the highest level of goodness and virtue. This is because, in his view, honor is a kind of recognition of one's excellence, and the better a person is, the more they deserve such recognition. Therefore, the proud person, who claims the greatest honor, must be the most virtuous and morally exceptional individual. Pride, in its proper sense, is tied to being a genuinely good person—it isn't based on empty self-importance but on genuine merit.

Aristotle is saying that a genuinely proud person (in the sense of having a proper sense of their own worth) must also be a person of high moral character. This is because pride, in its true and virtuous form, cannot exist without goodness. It’s not just about thinking highly of oneself; it’s about deserving to think highly of oneself because one embodies greatness in all virtues—such as courage, justice, wisdom, and generosity. True pride, then, is not arrogance or vanity; it’s rooted in living a genuinely virtuous and honorable life.

This part emphasizes that a truly proud person, as Aristotle defines pride, would never act shamefully or dishonorably. Fleeing danger in a cowardly way or committing wrongs against others would be completely out of character for someone with true greatness of spirit. Why? Because such a person sees nothing in the world as so overwhelmingly significant—or "great"—that it would justify stooping to dishonorable actions. In other words, they have a deep sense of self-worth and integrity, and disgraceful behavior contradicts that. By Aristotle's logic, a proud person should already possess an inner excellence that makes them stand above such petty or cowardly acts.

Here, Aristotle is pointing out that it would make no sense, or would be completely illogical (utterly absurd), for someone to act with pride if they were not a good person. Why? Because pride, in its rightful form, should be tied to virtue (moral excellence) and deserving honor. Honor, in this case, is a kind of recognition or reward that society bestows upon a person for their virtuous actions or qualities. Therefore, if someone is bad—lacking goodness and virtue— they would not truly deserve honor. Pride, as Aristotle sees it, is not about arrogance or baseless self-importance, but about recognizing one's legitimate excellence that stems from virtue, which earns respect and honor.

Aristotle is saying that pride, in its proper and virtuous sense, is like the "crowning glory" of all the other virtues. It enhances and amplifies virtues, giving them their full expression. However, for someone to be truly proud (in this virtuous way), they must already possess a deep sense of moral excellence—that is, they must be both noble and genuinely good. Without a foundation of excellent character and moral integrity, true pride simply cannot exist. Essentially, pride is not a standalone virtue but rather the culmination of a person's character when they embody all the other virtues at their peak.

This passage is about how the truly proud person (the virtuous and morally exceptional individual) views honor and dishonor in life. Aristotle explains that such a person is primarily concerned with being recognized for what they deserve, but their response to honors depends on who is giving them and why.

When someone virtuous receives significant honors from people of good character and judgment, they will feel only moderate satisfaction. Why? Because they view these honors as something they naturally deserve—or perhaps even as less than what they truly merit because no earthly recognition could fully match their perfect virtue. Still, they accept these honors, as they signify the greatest acknowledgment that others are capable of offering.

However, when trivial honors (recognition for superficial, unimportant things) come from random or unworthy people, the proud person sees no value in them and dismisses them entirely. Similarly, they completely disregard dishonor because it isn’t meaningful or just; someone truly virtuous understands that they haven’t done anything to deserve it.

In short, someone with exceptional virtue has a clear sense of their worth. Their self-respect prevents them from being overly swayed by others’ opinions, especially when those opinions come from places of superficiality or ignorance. Only recognition from honorable and good people matters, and even that doesn’t overly excite them, since they value virtue itself far above external praise.

In this part, Aristotle explains that while the proud (or "magnanimous") man is primarily focused on honor, he also approaches other aspects of life—like wealth, power, and life circumstances—with a balanced attitude. He does not let himself get overly excited when things go well or overly distressed when misfortune strikes. In essence, the proud man remains composed and doesn't let external outcomes completely dictate his emotional state. This moderation reflects his understanding that true worth isn't tied to material goods or fleeting circumstances but instead to living with virtue and dignity. Balance and a steady character are key traits of someone truly worthy of respect.

Aristotle is emphasizing that a truly proud person, someone of noble character and great virtue, does not treat honour—the ultimate recognition of one's moral excellence—as if it were the most critical thing in life. While most people pursue things like power and wealth because they believe those things will help them gain honour or recognition, the proud person values honour only modestly and sees even it as relatively insignificant. Therefore, if even honour—a highly valued external reward—is of little importance to them, then power and wealth, which are considered lesser goods, must matter even less to someone truly proud and virtuous.

The underlying idea is that a truly virtuous and proud person is self-sufficient in their goodness. They don’t need external rewards or social validation, and they are not defined by superficial markers like wealth or status. These things may matter to others, but not to someone who embodies true greatness of character. For them, virtue itself is what holds true value.

Aristotle is explaining here why proud people are often perceived as being disdainful or somewhat dismissive of others or certain things. This perception arises because truly proud individuals hold themselves to such a high standard, both in character and in their understanding of what is truly valuable, that they naturally look down on trivial honors, unworthy praise, or admiration from people who lack virtue or credibility. In other words, their self-respect and the greatness of their virtue make them indifferent or even contemptuous toward things and opinions that don’t align with their sense of what is truly important or deserving.

This "disdain," however, isn’t rudeness or arrogance in the modern sense—it’s more about a refined sense of values. The proud man doesn’t value superficial things like wealth, power, or applause, because to him, they don’t hold the same weight as genuine virtue and honor from noble sources. It’s a reflection of his high standards, not necessarily personal arrogance.