Aristotle’s “Pride is the Crown of the Virtues”
Number of pages:
4
ABSTRACT:
This is a 4 page paper discussing what Aristotle meant by claiming that pride is the crown of the virtues. Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC) discusses in Nicomachean Ethics (350 BC) the virtue of pride. In fact he notes that “Pride, then, seems to be a sort of crown of the virtues; for it makes them greater, and it is not found without them”. Pride in the sense of Aristotle is not arrogance but in fact is the virtue of respecting oneself and “without it, one would have no reason to trust one’s ability to live”. Man is considered vain on the other hand when he has the tendency to evaluate oneself too highly and humble if he does not evaluate himself at his own worth, whereas pride is “a rational evaluation of oneself” (Aristotle, 2003ab). Pride is the crown of the virtues because it depends upon a man’s complete goodness and balance of the virtues where a man must firstly realize his own worth, maintain this worth and goodness, and not over- or underestimate his own worth and goodness – a challenge in honor which places pride above the other virtues yet still depends upon their maintenance to be attained.
Bibliography lists 2 sources.
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File: D0_TJarist1.rtf
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