Book 7 / Chapter 2
Paragraph 3 - Contemplation on Continence and Incontinence
Explanation - Part By Part
"Further, if continence makes a man ready to stand by any and every opinion, it is bad, i.e. if it makes him stand even by a false opinion; and if incontinence makes a man apt to abandon any and every opinion, there will be a good incontinence,"
Aristotle is delving into the complexities of personal discipline (continence) and lack of self-control (incontinence). He suggests that if continence—the ability to resist desires or impulses—simply means sticking rigidly to any opinion, even a false or harmful one, then it’s not a good trait. In other words, mindlessly adhering to every belief, whether it's true or false, shows poor judgment rather than moral excellence.
On the flip side, if incontinence—the failure to resist impulses—leads someone to abandon every opinion, then this can have a rare benefit: there could be situations where letting go of a harmful or unethical belief is the right thing to do. He provides a subtle critique of human behavior here, suggesting that the value of either trait (continence or incontinence) depends on how and why it is applied.
"of which Sophocles' Neoptolemus in the Philoctetes will be an instance; for he is to be praised for not standing by what Odysseus persuaded him to do, because he is pained at telling a lie."
In this part, Aristotle gives an example from Greek literature to illustrate his argument. He refers to Neoptolemus, a character from Sophocles' play Philoctetes. In the story, Neoptolemus is persuaded by Odysseus to engage in a deceptive plan—essentially, to lie to Philoctetes. However, Neoptolemus feels intense discomfort about lying, and ultimately abandons the deceitful course of action because it clashes with his moral principles.
Aristotle uses this example to show that not sticking to a harmful or morally wrong choice can actually be a sign of virtue, even if it appears to be a form of "incontinence" (since the person is giving up on a commitment or plan). Neoptolemus is praised for not blindly following Odysseus' command, because his choice to reject deception aligns with his sense of what is right. This suggests that the quality of what is being pursued or resisted matters deeply in determining whether an action is praiseworthy or not.