1-ON THE SUBJECT OF "VIRTUE," CONSIDER THE QUOTE OF CONFUCIUS NEAR THE BOTTOM OF WHAT YOU FIND IF YOU TAKE A BRIEF SIDESTEP HERE. exhibit a fierce temper as high spirited. It is not however a man who deviates a little from goodness, but one who deviates a great deal, whether on the side of excess or deficiency, that is blamed; for he is sure to call attention to himself. It is not easy to decide in theory how far and to what extent a man may go before he becomes blameworthy, but neither is it easy to define in theory anything else in the region of the senses; such things depend on circumstances, and our judgment of them depends on our perception.
So much then is plain, that the mean is everywhere
praiseworthy, but that we ought to aim at one time towards an
excess and at another towards a deficiency; for thus we shall
most easily hit the mean, or in other words reach excellence.
A man is praised or blamed only for his voluntary acts. Involuntary acts, committed in ignorance or under compulsion, may be forgiven. Moral purpose is a deliberate desire to bring about something good within our power to be accomplished. Courage and temperance are moral virtues1 that represent means, the former a mean between the vices of cowardliness and foolhardiness in our attitude toward things terrifying, the latter between licentiousness and insensibility in our attitude toward bodily pleasure.
CHAPTER I. As virtue1 is concerned with emotion and action, and emotions and actions that are voluntary are objects for praise or blame, while those that are involuntary are objects for pardon and sometimes for pity, we must, I think, in a study of virtue1 distinguish the voluntary from the involuntary. It will also be useful
1-ON THE SUBJECT OF "VIRTUE," CONSIDER THE QUOTE OF CONFUCIUS NEAR THE BOTTOM OF WHAT YOU FIND IF YOU TAKE A BRIEF SIDESTEP HERE.
DON'T THINK THE WISDOM OF THOMAS JEFFERSON IS PASSÉ YET IN WHAT YOU ARE ENTITLED TO FROM YOUR GOVERNMENT? LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD: TAKE A BRIEF SIDESTEP HERE TO SIGN MY GUESTBOOK.