A few years ago, I went to Soprano Sumi Jo’s concert and, though she is reaching up there in age, her singing was still magnificent. An artist like Sumi Jo is called a “virtuoso”. But, did you know that virtuoso also means a person of noble character? That’s because virtue and virtuoso share the same etymology.
Aristotle--a disciple of Plato who, in turn, was the favored student of Socrates--was the first Western philosopher to dive deep into the topic of virtue. Aristotle is widely recognized as the teacher/mentor to Alexander the Great, but his paramount achievement was "Nicomachean Ethics.” Through it, he dissected and discussed the definition of virtue, why humans must pursue virtue, and how to obtain virtue through education and habits.
The seven virtues Aristotle listed are courage, temperance, wealth, honor, anger, relationship, and humility. Anyone can see that courage and humility are virtuous qualities. But what about anger or wealth? Aristotle argues that any virtue can be either insufficient or excessive. In the case of wealth or money, on one hand, a cheapskate or a person who is always short on money lacks the virtue (insufficient). On the other hand, he who wastes money on unnecessary and trivial things is a prodigal (excessive) who also lacks virtue. Hence, according to Aristotle, the virtue of money is knowing how to properly allocate resources for good and appropriate purposes.
We can apply the same logic to anger. Aristotle's notion of virtuous anger refers to indignation or ‘justified reaction’ that is expressed appropriately. Thus, it is not virtuous to, say, remain indifferent to child kidnapping that leads to prostitution (insufficient). Nor is it virtuous to pick up a weapon and take the matter into one’s own hands (i.e, hunt down the kidnapper and kill the culprit--this is an excessive reaction). Therefore, all virtues must be free from extremism and appropriately expressed after contemplation and reasoning.
Given the above, how would Aristotle assess the race relations in the US? First, it would be erroneous to make hasty generalizations. Aristotle would warn us to review facts, gather more information, and seek the truth before jumping to conclusions. Second, he would condemn any injustice. That is, Aristotle would condemn racist cops and those who defend their actions. Yet, this condemnation would be based on facts, not emotions or grossly biased news reports. Plus, Aristotle would equally condemn rioters and looters since their egregious actions damage and destroy the lives of innocent small business owners.
What would be Aristotle’s advice for us today?
Protest peacefully. Engage in dialogues, not monologues or rants. Prosecute and penalize criminals (bad cops as well as looters) according to the law, after having reviewed all facts. Be virtuous. Be ethical. Use reason. Don’t make sweeping generalizations. I think this is what's needed in our current state, don’t you think? There’s a lot to learn from ancient philosophers! Let us seek virtue rather than remain indifferent or react egregiously.
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