ETHICS

Here, Aristotle is drawing a distinction between two types of behavior: being "self-indulgent" and being "soft." A person who loves amusement (like someone who constantly seeks entertainment or distractions) might seem self-indulgent at first glance, but Aristotle argues they’re actually showing softness. By "soft," he means a lack of resilience or discipline. This kind of person can’t handle the demands or challenges of life, so they retreat to amusement as a way to escape. It’s less about being greedy for pleasure and more about being too weak to face difficulties or sustain effort.

Here, Aristotle is saying that amusement, like entertainment or leisurely activities, is meant to be a form of relaxation—a way to take a break from the effort and demands of work or serious tasks. However, he's pointing out that some people take this too far. Instead of using amusement in healthy moderation as a momentary rest, these individuals obsess over it, seeking constant amusement and prioritizing it excessively, turning it into a defining trait of their behavior.

In Aristotle's view, this tendency to overindulge in amusement is not exactly the same as being "self-indulgent" in the traditional sense of chasing physical pleasures (like excessive food, drink, etc.), but it is more akin to being soft—a kind of weakness or inability to practice self-restraint in the face of leisure. To him, moderation and balance are core virtues, and going overboard in even something seemingly harmless, like amusement, reflects a lack of discipline.