EN 1106a13-24 Human virtue is a disposition that makes human become good and perform his function well

About this episode

This episode discusses Aristotle's concept of human virtue as a disposition that enables individuals to perform their functions well.

ὅ τι μὲν οὖν ἐστὶ τῷ γένει ἡ ἀρετή, εἴρηται. Δεῖ δὲ μὴ μόνον οὕτως εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ἕξις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ποία τις. ῥητέον οὖν ὅτι πᾶσα ἀρετή, οὗ ἂν ᾖ ἀρετή, αὐτό τε εὖ ἔχον ἀποτελεῖ καὶ τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ εὖ ἀποδίδωσιν, οἷον ἡ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ ἀρετὴ τόν τε ὀφθαλμὸν σπουδαῖον ποιεῖ καὶ τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ· τῇ γὰρ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ ἀρετῇ εὖ ὁρῶμεν. ὁμοίως ἡ τοῦ ἵππου ἀρετὴ ἵππον τε σπουδαῖον ποιεῖ καὶ ἀγαθὸν δραμεῖν καὶ ἐνεγκεῖν τὸν ἐπιβάτην καὶ μεῖναι τοὺς πολεμίους. εἰ δὴ τοῦτ' ἐπὶ πάντων οὕτως ἔχει, καὶ ἡ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀρετὴ εἴη ἂν ἡ ἕξις ἀφ' ἧς ἀγαθὸς ἄνθρωπος γίνεται καὶ ἀφ' ἧς εὖ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ἔργον ἀποδώσει.

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Wenqi Li

Topics covered

• human virtue
• Aristotle
• philosophy
• disposition
• function
• education

Keywords

• virtue
• Aristotle
• disposition
• human function
• philosophy
• education

More episodes of Reading Aristotle's Text

• EN 1106a29-36 The mean in relation to the thing itself · November 5, 2025 · 2 min
• EN 1106a24-29 To investigate the nature of virtue from the perspective of mean · November 4, 2025 · 2 min
• EN 1106a6-12 Virtues are not capacities either but dispositions · November 2, 2025 · 2 min
• EN 1105a28-1106a6 Virtues are not affections · November 1, 2025 · 4 min
• EN 1105b19-28 The happenings in the soul are three · October 31, 2025 · 4 min
• EN 1105b12-18 One will not be good by just philosophizing · October 24, 2025 · 2 min