Book 4 / Chapter 5
Paragraph 1 - Good Temper and Anger
Explanation - Part By Part
"Good temper is a mean with respect to anger; the middle state being unnamed, and the extremes almost without a name as well, we place good temper in the middle position, though it inclines towards the deficiency, which is without a name."
Aristotle is discussing the virtue of good temper, which refers to how we manage our anger. He explains that good temper is the "mean," or balanced state, when it comes to anger—it sits between two extremes: having too much anger (excess) and having too little anger (deficiency). Interestingly, he points out that this balanced state doesn’t have a specific name, and neither do the extremes, at least not in a clear or widely accepted way.
What Aristotle is underlining here is that virtues often exist as a middle ground between two unhealthy extremes. In this case, a good-tempered person is someone who knows how to feel and express anger appropriately—enough to assert themselves when needed but not so much that it becomes destructive. At the same time, good temper slightly leans toward a deficiency in anger, meaning it favors staying calm and composed rather than being easily provoked.
"The excess might called a sort of 'irascibility'. For the passion is anger, while its causes are many and diverse."
Aristotle is explaining that when it comes to anger, having too much of it—being excessively angry—is called something like "irascibility." This means being quick-tempered or prone to outbursts of anger. Anger itself is just the emotion or passion, but it can be triggered by a wide variety of reasons. In other words, there isn't just one clear cause for anger; it arises from many different things depending on the situation, making it a complex emotion to navigate.