What is right or wrong? And when do people know the thing they are doing is right or wrong? Before we can begin talking about what action is right or wrong, we have to consider how action begins. In other words, in order to judge something, it has to happen first. “And those who act under compulsion and unwillingly act with pain but those who do act for their pleasantness and nobility do them with pleasure” (Aristotle book 3). The reason that I pick the quote is that it perfectly describes how most people would act on their daily bases. People are not willing to do things or perform an action that would cause them pain because no one pain is just human nature, a self-response that doesn’t even need to go through the brain. For example, when you receive pain, without even thinking, the first reaction is to back away from the source of pain and then figure out where the pain comes from. It is a natural reflex from our body, whenever we receive pain, we would want to get away from it, whether is mentally or physically. The other end is that people are willing to do the act because it brings them pleasure and they love what they do.
This idea of doing an activity because of pleasure or it brings happiness in any kind shape or form and the unwillingness to do an act because it brings pain describes human nature. Just like Mill said in “utilitarianism is the principle of happiness” that we are always in pursuit of happiness, that how we are, humans don’t like to suffer. I remember when I was about fifteen years old, my parents made me take karate lessons, we had to do this thing called stretching, and it hurts so bad because I am not flexible. So I ended up quitting because I didn’t like the pain it brings even though I know it is the right thing to take the class but I just didn’t like the pain. Aristotle splits act into voluntary and involuntary, is pretty much the literal definition, the willingness, and the unwillingness. To Aristotle, the act of good is connected with virtue, and to Aristotle, the four virtues are courage, temperance, liberality, and magnificence. If the act shows one of virtue, and to Aristotle is considered good. With that in mind, what determines if they are doing the right thing or not? Whenever we make an action, we always have a choice, which is just whether it is willingly or not. Aristotle had rated action from good to bad
- If someone knows the right thing and does the right thing and love doing it
- If someone knows the right thing but don’t do it
- If someone knows the right thing and ends up doing the opposite
- If someone doesn’t know the right thing and don’t do the right thing
I agree with the order except for three and four because I feel like that if you know the right thing but end up choosing to do the wrong thing that is just stupid in all sorts of the way then if you don’t know what’s going and end up doing the wrong thing people wouldn’t blame you as much as if you know the right thing and does the wrong thing. Aristotle defines Incontinence man as someone who acts against its own judgment which is like the idea in number three.
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