Moral Virtue In Book II Of The Nicomachean Ethics

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Aristotle discusses moral virtue and how like activities aid in the process of gaining moral virtue in Book II of The Nicomachean Ethics. According to Aristotle in Book II, “Moral Virtue, How It Is Acquired,” moral virtue is acquired through the repetition of habits. Good moral virtue will only be gained if a human performs good and just habits. If a human performs bad and unjust habits they will not gain positive moral virtue. No moral virtue appears in humans by nature, “for nothing that exists by nature can form a habit contrary to its nature” (NE23). Aristotle uses the example of a stone in nature going downwards. Aristotle explains that that stone cannot be “habituated to move upwards” (NE23). There are habits that humans are born with that cannot be changed due to the nature of human kind, however, humans are adapted by nature to receive the virtues and then are made perfect from habit (NE23). …show more content…
One must exercise virtue to obtain the virtue. To have good moral virtue one must perform virtuous acts well, if one performs the acts poorly then they will obtain bad moral virtue. Like activities have a lot to do with the process of acquiring moral virtue. “Thus, in one word, states of character arise out of like activities” (NE24). The activities that humans exhibit “must be of a certain kind; it is because the states of character correspond to the difference between these” (NE24). Humans must examine the nature of their actions and how they perform their actions. The performance of their actions “determines the nature of the states of character that are produced” (NE24). Aristotle clearly explains that performing like activities that are just repeatedly will inevitably help humans to gain moral