Aristotle's 'Nameless' Virtues
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De Gruyter
Aristotle's 'Nameless' VirtuesAuthor(s): Paula GottliebReviewed work(s):Source: Apeiron: A Journal for Ancient Philosophy and Science, Vol. 27, No. 1 (March 1994),pp. 1-15Published by: De GruyterStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40913737 .
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Aristotle'sNameless' irtues
Paula
Gottlieb
It s a
good
dea toexamine
henameless irtuess
well
s
the
thers.
For
f
we discuss
articular
spects
f haracterne
at a
time,
e
will
acquire
better
nowledge
f
hem;
nd
f
we
survey
hevirtues nd
see that
n
ach ase
the irtues
a
mean,
we
will
havemore onfidence
in
our
belief hat he
irtuesremeans.
Aristotle,
N
V
7, 1127al5,
r.
Irwin)
Aristotle's octrine f
themean
s,
at
least
n
part,
heview that ach
virtue fcharactertandsn a meanbetween wovices, neanexcess
and the ther
deficiency.1
or
xample,
hevirtue f
generosity
s
n a
meanbetween
wo
vices,
wastefulness,
he
xcess,
nd
stinginess,
he
deficiency.
here
re two
popular
riticismsfAristotle's
iscussion f
virtues f haracter.
hefirsts
that
Aristotle'soctrinef hemean
has
no substantive
onsequences
f
ny
nterest.he econd
riticisms
that
Aristotle
s
merely arroting
he views of his time n thevirtues.
comment
y
J.L.
Ackrill
uccinctly
ombines oth
harges:
nsofar
s
Aristotle'sccounts f
particular
irtues
mbody particular
moral
outlook
and
that
s,
perhaps,
ot
far),
his s due
rather o his
acquies-
cence nthevocabularyndoutlook fhis time han o his theoretical
commitmento "thedoctrine f hemean".'2
1
Thedoctrines more
omplicated
han
his,
utfor
resent
urposes
t
ufficeso
say
hat n
ny articular
ccasionwhen
irtuousehaviours
called
or,
here
ill
be more
han
ne
opposing
irection
n
which necanerr.
2
J.L.
Ackrill
ristotle'sthics
London:
aber nd
Faber,
973),
2.
See
also
24 ...
Aristotle
learly ligns
himselfwithconventional
alues and
takes themfor
APEIRON
journal
or ncient
hilosophy
nd
science
0003-6390/94/2701
-16
3.00
©Academic
rinting
Publishing
8/16/2019 Aristotle's 'Nameless' Virtues
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2 Paula
Gottlieb
By oncentrating
n Aristotle'snameless'
irtues,
aim
to
how hat
both fthese riticisms
re
misplaced.3
shall
rgue
hat
henameless
virtues re no less
mportant
han
heir
amed
ompanions
nd that
f
Aristotles
right
bout he xistence
f henameless
irtues,
isdoctrine
of themean
will
have resulted
n
some
mportant
iscoveries
nd
so
does have substantive
mport
fter
ll.4
shall lso
argue
hat he
very
existence
fnameless
irtues
n
Aristotle'siscussion asts oubt n
the
idea
that
Aristotle
s
simply eporting
ontemporary
iews.
hope
to
show
that Aristotle s more
nnovative
han
has
previously
een
thought.5
In
section
I
explain
whichvirtues
re nameless'
nd what
their
namelessness
onsists
n. In
thenext wo
sections
explain
how the
nameless
irtues re controversial
ven
within
heAristotelian
orpus
granted...'
ormore n the
irst
harge,
ee
BernardWilliams ho
complains
hat
the octrinef
hemean s one
of hemost elebrated
nd
east
seful
arts
fhis
[Aristotle's]ystem'nd is betterorgotten'Ethicsnd the imitsfPhilosophy
[Cambridge,
A:Harvard
niversity
ress,
985],
6).
The econd
harge
asbeen
made most
recently
y Gregory
Vlastos
(Socrates:
ronist
nd Moral
Philosopher
[Ithaca,
Y: Cornell
niversity
ress,
991],
79);
Neil
Cooper
'Aristotle's
rown-
ing
Virtue',
peiron
2
(1989),
93);
nd
J.O.
Urmson
Aristotle's
thics
Oxford:
Blackwell,
988], 2).
The
charge
s
an
old
one.See
e.g.,
J.A.
tewart
otes n the
Nicomachean
thics
f
Aristotle,
ol.
1
Oxford:
larendon
ress,
892),
52.Noneof
the bove-mentioned
uthors iscuss
Aristotle's
ameless irtues.
ckrill
oes
not
translateook
V of
Nicomachean
thicsnwhich
hey
ppear.
3 This
s not o
claim
hat t s
mpossible
o
argue
gainst
hese riticisms
sing
he
other
irtues
especially
hose,
erhaps,
hich
Aristotlessociates
ith ameless
vices).
restrict
yself
o
thenameless
irtuesince
think
hat n
considering
he
nameless irtuesnecanaddress hecriticismsn a particularlyividway.A
discussion
f he
nameless ices
ies
beyond
he
cope
f his
aper.
4 The ubstantive
onsequences
ay
not
e what he etractors
f he octrine
f he
mean
re
xpecting,
ut,
f am
right,
he etractors
re
ooking
n
the
wrong lace
for
what hese ubstantive
onsequences
reor hould
e.
5
It
might
e
objected
hat he
nameless
irtuesre nherent
n
ncient
reek ife
ut
are
unimportant
ndtherefore
ameless.
y
nswer
o his
bjection
astwo
arts.
First,
do not
mean
to claim
hat,
nce
articulated,
he nameless
irtues ook
unfamiliar.
f hatwere
o,
Aristotle's
ntroduction
f
henameless
irtues ould
appear
d hoc.
All am
claiming
s
that heres
nothing
o
parrot
efore
ristotle's
articulation
f he
ameless
irtues.
econdly,
shall
xplain
owards
he nd
of
my
paperwhy henameless irtues
reno
mere etails.
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Aristotle'sNameless'Virtues
3
itself,
nd
yet
why
here s no reason o exclude hem rom
ristotle's
list fvirtues.
n
section
I I
explain
ow
Aristotle'sntroduction
f
he
nameless irtue
oncerning
mallhonours
n
theNicomacheanthics
a)
solves
problem
n
the
Eudemian
thics hich
rises ecause hevirtue
is not
recognised
here
nd
(b)
explainswhy
there s confusionbout
what hevirtue s
in
the
phere
f
smallhonours. s
I
show,
both
he
problem
nd the onfusionrisefrom
ailing
o
apply
Aristotle's oc-
trine f hemean
n
the
roperway.
n
section
II
explain
why
Aristotle
thinks hat hree fthe
nameless irtues o notcount s
virtues
n
his
Eudemianthicsndwhyhe swrong o do so. nsectionVI give ome
positive
easons
for
ncluding
he nameless
virtues
n
the roster
f
virtues
nd
I
show how thenameless
irtues ranscendhe
parochial
Greek ulture f the fourth
entury
.C..
In
the
concluding
ection
suggest
ome further
mplications
f
taking
he
nameless irtues
eri-
ously,
othfor he
understanding
f Aristotle's
thics
nd
for
stab-
lishing
he
hronology
fAristotle's
orks.
I
The
Namelessness ftheNameless
Virtues
There re five
virtueswhichAristotle
ays
are
nameless
n
his
M-
comacheanthics
EN
I
7).
These re he
irtue
oncerning
mall
onours,
TcpaoTTjqmildness),
c^r|0£ia
truthfulness),
mpam'kia
r
£7u8ei;i6Tr|<;
(wit)
nd
piMoc
friendliness).6
inceAristotle
eferso ll
of hese
irtues
by
name,
xcept
or he
irst,
he
namelessnessf
he
irtues
learly
alls
for ome
explanation.
he
explanation
nvolvesnot
only
the
terms
which
Aristotle ses to describe
is virtues ut
also
the
novelty
nd
hence
ontroversialature f he
virtues
hemselves.
First,ntheirrdinarysage, he erms ristotlesestodescribehe
virtues,
nd
also the erms
vailable or
modern
ommentatorsouse
to
6
The
translationsre rwin's
Nicomachean
thics
Indianapolis:
ackett,
985]).
discuss hem
elow.
Ackrill,
oachim
nd
Ross
ll
translatehe irst
our s
follows,
'ambition',
good temper',
truthfulness'nd
ready
wit'.
J.L.
Ackrill,
ristotle's
Ethics;
H.H.
Joachim,
Aristotle: he
Nicomachean
thics,
d. D.A.
Rees
[Oxford:
Clarendon
Press,
1978];
W.D.
Ross
translation f
Nicomachean
thics
eprinted
n The
Complete
Works
f
Aristotle: he
Revised
Oxford
ranslation,
d.
J.
Barnes,
with revi-
sions
y
he ditor
Princeton:rincetonniversityress, 984], ol.2).
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4
Paula
Gottlieb
translate
hem,
o not
capture xactly
hatAristotle as
in mind.
or
example,
ristotleimself
xplains
hat he erm
Tcpaoxriq'
'mildness')
inclines
oward he
deficiency
ather
han
ccurately eferring
o
the
mean:
7ipaoTn<;
'ecrci
ieaoTr'q cep
pyd<;-
voovouoi)
'6vto<;
o')
legox),
xeSov
8e
Kal xcov
Kpcov,
m to
pioov
rnv
cpa6xr|Tapepo|iev,
pbq
r'v
AAeiyw
anoKkivovGOv,
vcovujLio'u
tiaav
(Mildness
is
a
mean with
respect
to
anger.
Since themean
is
nameless,
nd the extremes lmost so
too,
we
put mildnessin themean, though t inclines toward thedeficiency,
which s
nameless
EN
IV
5,
1125b26-9).)7
Interestingly,
he
Latin term
mansuetudo'sed
by Aquinas
and the
English
ranslation
mildness'
or
gentleness'
nd
gentle emper'),
ot
to
mention
he
rench
erm
placidite'
,
havethe ameunwelcome
onno-
tations.8
Again,
Aristotle
ays
that e
will
use the
Greekwordfor
riendship
'(plaice'
or he
nameless
irtue etween
lattery
nd
quarrelsomeness,
because
thisvirtuemost
resembles
riendship,lthough
here s
an
importantifferenceetween he two.Friendship equires special
feeling
or
he
person
ne s
friendly
ith,
riendliness
oes not
EN
IV
6,
1126bl9-28).
ndeed,
iddell
nd
Scott
ite
nly
Aristotle
s
using
he
term
cpiMa'
ith he ense
f friendliness'
r
amiability'
p.
1934).
ven
the
English
erm
friendliness'
s
inaccurate. o be
a
friendlyerson,
according
o
Aristotle,
snot
obe
ndiscriminately
riendly,
ut o
ccept
and to
object
o the
ight
hings
n
the
ight
ay
EN
V
6,
1126bl6-17).
There
re lso
difficulties
n
finding
dequate
nglish xpressions
or
theother
ameless
irtues.
he
translation
wit'
and
ready
wit'),
ike
7
Aquinas
makesAristotle's
inguisticoint
more
xplicit
n
his
ommentary:
Nomen
autem
mansuetudinis
ssumitur
d
signandum
medium,
um tamen
x vi nominis
magis
declinet
d
defectum
rae'
(Lectio
XIII
of
In Decem
Libros
Ethicorum ristotelis
d
Nicomachum
xpositio).
8 'Gentleness'
s
Rackham's
ranslation
Eudemian
thics,
Cambridge,
A: Harvard
University
ress,
935],
evised
952],
eprinted
981]),
gentle
emper'
s
MJ.
Woods'
(Aristotle's
udemian
thics
Books
,
II
and VIII
[Oxford:
Clarendon
Press,
1982]).
Placidite'
s
R.A.Gauthier
nd
J.Y. olif's
referred
ranslation.
hey
lso
consider
la douceur'
Aristote:
'Ethique
Nicomaque
Paris:
ouvain,
958],
ol
I
Pars ,301).
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Aristotle's
Nameless'Virtues
5
theGreek erms
empane^a'
and
/87ci5e^i0Tr|(;//
onjure
p
mental
ex-
terity
nd
mply
hat
he
person
with
his irtue
ill
know rbe able
to
make
up many ood okes
nd
be
good
at
delivering
hem.
n
fact,
he
point
f hevirtue f
wit
s rather oenable ts
possessor
obe sensitive
tohis udience nd to knowwhen
particularoke
wouldbe
appropri-
atetomake
and
also to
appreciate)
nd
whennot
EN
V
8,
1128a9-33).
Finally,
he ermtruthfulness's
a
translationor
aA,r|0£ia',
s simi-
larlymisleading.
t
s
apt
to
mply
hat
he
ruthful
erson
will
simply
tell he
ruth
n
all
occasions.Aristotle'sccount fthe
virtue e calls
'aA,f|0£ioc'smore ubtle. is truthfulersons onewho s truthfulbout
his own
possessions,
eliefs
nd
abilities nd who
gives
out the
right
amount f nformationn the
ight
ccasions.
ristotles often
hought
to restrict
ruth-telling
o
explicit
tatementsbout
neself,
utthis
s
a
misunderstanding
f his
position,
ince whenever
ne
expresses
n
opinion
one is
indirectly aking
claim about
one's own
abilities,
especially
he
bility
oback
up
the
pinion
ne
s
expressing.9
Not
only
must heAristotelian
irtuous
erson's
tatementsruth-
fully
eflecter
views f
herself,
ut
her ssessment
fherself ust
lso
be
right.
he term
sincerity'
Rackham's
ranslation)
s
thereforeoo
narrow,ince hosewho have thevicesofboastfulnessrself-depreca-
tion
may
lso be
quite
incere
n
their
ssessment f
themselves;
hey
may ust
be
wrong
bout heir bilities.
Aristotles therefore
ustified
n
calling
isvirtues
nameless'
ecause
theGreek ermswhich
xist,
ust
ike
heirmodern
ranslations,
o
not
exactly
it
hevirtues e means o
describe.10
urthermore,
s
might
e
expected,
oneof
Aristotle's ameless
irtues re treated
s central
y
his
ancient reek
redecessors
nd
contemporaries.
The idea of there
eing
four
entral
irtues
eems to have been
popular
n
Plato's
ime,
lthough
ot
veryone
reated he ame
virtues
as central.
ignificantly,
one of
Aristotle's
ameless
virtues
ppear
among he ardinal irtues fPlato'sRepublic,isdomaoqnoc),ravery
(6cv5pe{a),
emperance
acocppoauvri)
nd
ustice
8iKocioat)vr|)
e.g.,
Rep
V
9 I am
grateful
o
J.
Goodwin nd P.
Mooney
or
elpful
iscussion
f his
oint.
10 One
might bject
hat his s
true f
Aristotle'samed
irtues
oo.
f
o,
Aristotles
even
more
nnovativehan amsuggestingere.
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6 Paula Gottlieb
427E).
Nor do Aristotle's
ameless irtues
ppear
n
any
of theother
extantists ffour.11
Plato also mentions
enerosity
etauGepioTnc;)
nd
magnificence
('ieyaXonpEnem),
womore
fAristotle's
amed
irtues,
rominently,
n
his
RepublicRep
II
402C,
f
Rep
VII 536a nd
VI
487A).
henearest
lato
comes o
discussing
ristotle's
ameless
irtuess
in
his discussion f
the
good philosophical
tudent
Rep
VI
487A).12
uch
person,
e
says,
will
be,
mong
ther
hings,
yiXoq
emi
GDyyevTic;
taiGeiocq'
'gracious,
a
friend
nd
kin
o
truth').13
Even f, s appearsunlikelyrom hecontext,latoweregroping
towards
heAristotelian
irtues f riendliness
nd
truthfulness
ith is
mention
f
graciousness
nd
truth,
e
s
clearly iscussing
he
empera-
ment
f he
tudent,
ather
han isorher
ull-blownirtues.
rue,
lato
says
hat is
guardian
must
e mild
Rep
I
375C-E),
ut
gain,
e seems
to have
temperament
n
mind,
or e worries
bouthow such
person
can
be both
mild and
high-spirited.
he
quality
f
being
mild
has
a
broader ense
n
Plato's
Republic
han t
does
n
Aristotle'sthics.
hat
itmeans
quietness'
reven
passivity'
nd
s
not
necessarily
virtues
11
For
example,
indarmentions our
mainvirtues
em
II
70ff,
ut
not
by
name.
Aeschylus
escribes
mphiaraus
s
a
temperate,
ust, ourageous
nd
pious
man')
(Sept
10). On
the ranslation
courageous'
connoting ilitary
alour)
or
ccyaBoq'
see
J.L.
Creed Moral
Values
n
Thucydides'
ime/
lassical
uarterly
3
(1973)
213-31,
17).
socrates
ists
ourage,
isdom,
iety
nd
temperance
s the our
main
virtues
nHelen
31),
ut
n
Evagoras,
ike
lato,
e ubstitutes
ustice
or
iety.
lato
may
have
taken is
particular
our
irtues rom he
Pythagoreans.
n
this,
ee
J.
Ferguson,
oral
aluesn
he ncient
orld
London:
Methuen,
958),
specially
h.
3. Formore n
thehistorical
ackground,
ee
H.
North,
ophrosune
Ithaca,
Y:
Cornell niversityress, 966],speciallyhs3-5.
12 In a laterwork
lato
gives
similarist
or he
ualities
f he
young erson
who
willbe
ruler,
ut he
phrase
uoted
next bove s
conspicuously
bsent
Laws
V
709E-710A).
enophon
raisesAgesilaus
or o
i)x«P1/
is
graciousness
Agesilaus
VIII),
ut his s
broader
han
ny
ne
ofAristotle's
ameless
irtues;
t
eems
obe
a
mixturefAristotelian
riendliness,
ruthfulness
nd
magnanimity.
nterestingly,
in
K.J.
over's
ook,
Greek
opular
orality
n he ime
f
lato nd
Aristotle
Oxford:
Basil
Blackwell,
974),
friendliness'
nly ppears
s a
synonym
or
piA,av9pamioc
(201-5).
A^r|0eia
oes
not
ppear
t
all.
13
Shorey unctuates
he entence
ncorrectly
s
gracious,
riendly,
nd akin o
ruth
...
(The
ollected
ialogues
f
lato,
d.
Hamiltonnd
Cairns
New
York:
ollingen
Foundation,eprinted966], 23).
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Aristotle's
Nameless'Virtues
7
clearfrom
he
passage
where latonotes hat onvicted riminals
n a
democracy isplay
his
roperty
Rep
VIII
558
A).14
nterestingly,
ris-
totle imselfistsmildness
mong
he
motions
n
de Anima
de
An
1,
403al7).
ndeed,
whether ristotle's
ameless irtues
re rue irtues r
merely
matter f
temperament
s
an
importantuestion,
which
address
elow.
However,
t
s not
necessary
o
go
very
ar
field o
appreciate
he
novelty
fAristotle's ameless
irtues,
incewhether r not hename-
less virtues re
virtues s controversialven within
he Aristotelian
corpustself.nhis extantarlyworks, ristotlenlymentions lato's
cardinal
irtues, isdom,
ravery,emperance
nd
ustice Protrepticus
fragments
and
12
Ross);
Topics
16,
108al-3).
n a
passage
n
Rhetoric
Aristotleists hostof
virtues,
ut
ncludes
nly
ne
nameless
irtue,
here
named s mildness
Rhet
9,
1366bl-3).15
nterestingly,
he
passage
seems
o
predate
Aristotle'soctrine f hemean
or
perhaps
t
merely
reflects
rdinarysage),
ince
nly
nevice s mentioned
or achvirtue
(Rhet
9,
1366b3-20).
Themost
tartlingiscrepancy,
owever,
s
between he
Nicomachean
Ethics nd
the
Eudemian thics.
our of the five
namelessvirtues f
Nicomachean thicsdo not appear as virtues in EudemianEthics. n
Eudemian
thics,
hevirtue
oncerning
mall
honours s not
mentioned
at
ll,
nd
friendliness,
ruthfulness
nd wit
re aidnot
obe virtues ut
14 Plato's
mentionf
7ipa6xr|<;
s
passivity
s not
unique.
H.
North as an
nteresting
discussion f theconnection
etween ipaoTr|<;and (lexpioxric;)n Isocratese.g.,Nicodes
9)
and
the
political
deal of
sophrosune
hich
here
onnotes he
quiet
behaviour
nd
obedience f
ubjectsSophrosune,
47).
Isocrates omesnearest o
describing
ontemporary
xamples
f the
vices
associated ith
henamelessmeans n
Areopagiticus
7-54.
he
estimony
fTheo-
phrastus
s
inconclusive. is Characters
s
a
satire
escribing
ices
not virtues.
Sometimesisnamed icesmatch
ristotle'snd
ometimes
hey
o
not,
ut
when
they
o
Theophrastus
ay ust
e
following
is
eacher
ristotle.
15
Here he
manuscripts
iffer.
am
using
Kassel's ext
which elies n a
manuscript
which ncludes
mildness.
oss,
he
ditor f he
Oxford lassical
ext,
ollows
he
one
manuscript
hich oesnot
mentionhis irtue.
is
reading,
f
ccepted,
ould
only trengthen
y
laim hat
he
nameless irtues
re
controversialithin
he
Aristotelianorpustself.
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8
Paula
Gottlieb
emotionalmeans
|xea6xr|xe(;..7ra0r|TiKa{)
nstead
EE
III
7,
1233bl7-19).16
I
shalldiscuss hese ontroversialirtues
n
more etail elow.
II
The Virtue
oncerning
mall Honours
In
Aristotle's
icomachean
thics,
he
pair
of
virtues,
enerosity
etauG-
epiornq)nd generosityn a grand cale, ndmagnificenceLieya^o-
7ipe7i£ia),
re matched
by
two virtues oncerned
with
honour,
he
nameless irtue oncerned
ith
mallhonours
nd a
virtue oncerned
with
honour n
a
grand
cale,
magnanimity
ixeyaXo^xio).
lthough
Aristotle iscusses
both members f the first
air
of virtues
n
his
Eudemian
thics,
e
only
mentions ne member f the second
pair,
magnanimity.
wish o
suggest
hat
here s
a
problem rising
n
Aris-
totle's iscussion f
magnanimity
n Eudemian
thics hichwould be
solved
by
the
discovery
f new
and
distinct
irtue.
In
his
Eudemian
thics,
ristotle
rgues
hat
magnanimity
s
a
mean
state
y
first
escribing
hedifferentttitudesne
might
ave towards
honours. e describesourharacters,he ersonwho sworthyfgreat
things
nd
who
thinks imself
o
worthy,
he
person
who s
worthy
f
great hings
ut
who does
not
hink
imselfo
worthy,
he
person
who
is
worthy
f small
hings
nd who thinks imselfo
worthy,
nd
the
person
who s
worthy
f mall
hings
utwho thinks
hat
e s
worthy
of
great
ones.
By
a
process
of elimination
sing
the schemaof his
doctrine f he
mean,
Aristotleoncludes
hat
magnanimity
s
a
virtue
between
the two vices
of
pusillanimity
niKpoyoxict)
nd
vanity
(xocovornq).
ccording
o
Aristotle,
he
magnanimous
erson,
he
erson
who is
worthy
f
great
honours
nd who thinks imself o
worthy,
comes etweenhe ersonwho sworthyfgreat onours utdoes not
think
hat
e
s,
nd the
person
who s not
worthy
f
great
onours
ut
who thinks
hat e s
EE
III
5,
1233all-17).
So
far o
good.
However,
his eaves
out the
person
who neithers
northinks
imself
orthy
f
great
hings
EE
III
5,
1232b32-4).
here
16 The
Magna
Moralia
ollows
he
Eudemian
thicsn
omitting
hevirtue
oncerning
small
honours,
ut the
uthor eaves
t an
open question
whether
riendliness,
truthfulnessnd
wit revirtues r
not
MM
1
32,1193a37-9).
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10
Paula
Gottlieb
For t
bstains,
ust
s
generosity
oes,
from
nythingreat
utforms
the
ight
ttitude
n
us on
medium nd small
matters;
nd
ust
s the
taking
nd
giving
f
money
dmits f
a
mean,
n excess nd a defi-
ciency,
o also we can
desire onourmore
r ess
than
s
right,
nd we
can desire
t from he
right
ources
nd in
the
right
way.
EN
IV
4,
1125bl-8,
r.
rwin)
Aristotlelaims
hat
here
s
a
nameless
meanbetween
wo
vices,
n
excess,
pitamuioclove
of
honour)
nd a
deficiency,
qutamuiocindiffer-
ence
to
honour). owever,
ecause
hemeanhas
no
name, eople
are
mislednto
hinking
hat hevices re thevirtues. ristotle
ays,
But
when
the mean
has no
name,
he extremes
ook
ike rivalsfor
t,
s
though
t were unclaimed'
EN
IV
4,
1125bl7-8,
r.
rwin).
Aristotle
explains
hat ometimes
eople
praise
hehonour-lover
s
if
hewere he
virtuous
erson.
At other
imes
hey raise
the ndifferent
erson
s
exhibiting
he
virtue.
he introduction
f the nameless
virtue
elps
explain
he
apparent
nconsistency
n
people's
thinking
n the
topic.
Aristotle
ispels
he onfusion
s follows:
When
compared
with ove of
honour,
t
[sc.
the nameless
virtue]
appears
s indifferenceo
honour;
when
ompared
ith
ndifference,
it
ppears
s loveof
honour;
ndwhen
ompared
ith
oth,
t
ppears
in a
way
as
both.
hiswould eem
obe
true f he ther
irtues
oo;
but
nthis ase
the xtreme
eople
ppear
obe
opposed only
oeach
other]
ecause
he
ntermediate
erson
asno
name.
EN
V
4,
1125b21-
5,
tr.
rwin)
It s the
doctrine
f the
mean
which shows
that
he
virtue
n
any sphere
should
come
between
at
least)
two vices.
This is
what allows
Aristotle
to
explain
that there
s
a virtue
where
people
had not noticed
one
before.
concerned
ith onours
n
large
cale,
uch s
being
sked
o ndow
he
rts,
nd
of he
ompanion
irtues concerned
ith onours
n
more
mundane
cale,
uch
as
being iven
he
ppropriate
espect
n
conversation
y
someone
ne
admires.
Thehonours
he
magnanimous
erson
ill
isdain,
y
ontrast,
ill e
nappropri-
ate mall
nes,
uch
s
being
sked o
chair
committee
or
eciding
he olour
f
the ecorations
t a
neighbourhood
elebration.
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Aristotle'sNameless'Virtues 11
II
The
Questionable
Mean-Dispositions'
In
his Eudemian
thics,
ristotle
rgues
hat hree f theNicomachean
Ethics'
ameless
irtues,
pi?iiafriendliness),
c?ir|0eia
truthfulness)
nd
empaKEXia
wit)
re
mong
ix onditions hich renot obe classified
as virtues
EE
III
7).20
heother
hree,
hich
re
not lassifieds virtues
in Nicomacheanthics
ither,
re
vejieoi<;
righteousndignation),
ci8cb<;
(shame),
nd
C£[iv6xr'q
dignity).21
n
both thical
orks,
ristotle
rgues
that
irtues
a
e^iq
a
settled
isposition)
and
not
n
emotion)
n
mean
involvingational hoice EN II 5-6;EE II 2-3). nhisEudemianthics
Aristotle
xplains
hat one f he boveconditionsare
virtues,
or re
the
opposing
tates
ices,
ecause
they
o not
nvolve
cpoa(peai(;
ra-
tional
hoice).
hey
reall
n
the lassificationf he
motions,
or ach
one
is an emotion'
'
...
lama 8e
7iavi'
eaxlvev
xaiq
tSv
7ta9r||idTcov
8iaipeaeaiv
£kocgtov
ap
mcov
cd9o<;
i
eoxiv') EE
III
7,
1234a25-7).
n
his
Nicomachean
thics,
ristotle olds the
opposite
view;
the three
nameless
irtues ave the tatus f
full
irtues.
Aristotle'sdentificationf the nameless irtueswith
motions
n
Eudemianthicss
puzzling.22
ll
three tates
nvolve
owers
freason-
ing nddiscrimination.venwit,whichmighteem he east romising
in
this
egard,
nvolves uch
powers.
t
s often
hought
hat
Aristotle
20
Although
he irtues
n
question
renameless
nd,
s
I
have
xplained,
henames
Aristotle
ssigns
o them o not
uite
it,
shall ontinueouse
Aristotle'sames
because his s ess umbersomehan
iving description
f ach
virtue henever
it
s discussed.
21
On
ve(j.eaiq
nd
cxi5(o<;,
ee
EN I
7,
1108a30-b6nd
formore n
why
iScbq
s not
virtue,
N IV
9,
1128blO-33.
e'iv6tt'<;
s notmentionedt all.
I hope
to
providedetailed reatmentf llsix onditions
lsewhere.)
22
Even
W.W.
Fortenbaugh,
ho
argues
hat
he ccount
n
Eudemian
thicss
the
correctne
'Aristotle
nd
the
Questionable
ean-Dispositions/
ransactions
f
he
American
hilological
ssociation9
1968]
03-31),
oncedes hat
one f he
name-
less
virtuesre
learly
ssociated ith
ny articular
motion,
xcept
or
wit,
which
Fortenbaugh
ssociates
ith
he esthetic
motionf
finding
omethingaughable'
(216),
ut
uch
n
emotion,
f
t
exists,
s notmentioned
y
Aristotle
imself.or
general
riticismf the
presuppositions
f
Fortenbaugh's
iew,
ee
R.
Sorabji,
'Aristotlen theRoleof ntellectn
Virtue'
n
A.O.
Rorty,
d.,
Essays
n
Aristotle's
Ethics
Berkeley:niversity
fCalifornia
ress,
980),
10-11.
ortenbaugh
imself
appears
o
have
hanged
ismind
bout he
ameless irtues
y
he ime e
wrote
his
book;
AristotlenEmotion
London: uckworth,975),
0-1.
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12
Paula Gottlieb
approves
nnuendo verout-and-outbuse
ust
s a matter f
taste.
A
more
ikely xplanation
s
that
nnuendonvolvesmore
easoning
han
out-and-out
buse,
and it
also
requires
nd
invitesmental
gility
n
response,
hereas he atter oes
not.
There s thereforeo reason o
deny
hese irtues heir ue.
Still,
he
question
emains
why
Aristotlelassifies hesevirtues s
'emotional
..
means'
n
his
Eudemianthics.
he dea that
hey ust
re
emotions
ill
nothold
up, lthough
motions
roper
retobe found
n
the
triads f the other onditions hichdo not count s full-blown
virtuesneither ork. nvy ndshame, or xample,ust reemotions,
according
o
Aristotle;
hey
re not ettled
tates
n
virtue fwhichwe
experience
motions
n
particular
ccasions
n
particular ays.
The
problem
s
why
Aristotlehould ven
ntertainhe
hought
hatwit nd
friendlinessre motions
ike hese.
suggest
hat
ristotle as worried
that
wit,
ruthfulness
ndfriendlinessremattersf
emperament
ather
than irtue.
n
fact,
he
way
n
which hese onditionsre described
n
Eudemianthics
might
end
upport
o the dea
that
omeone
empera-
mentallyriendly
r
temperamentally
luntwould
do
ust
s well s the
virtuous
person
in
Nicomachean
thics.
n
his
Nicomachean
thics,
Aris-
totle eesthat hese irtuesre no moremattersf heer emperament
than
re
any
of he thers.
t
appears,
hen,
hat heNicomacheanthics
contains
he
uperior
ccount.
IV
Including
heNameless
Virtues
In
the
revious
ections
argued
hat
espite
ecognising
he ontrover-
sial
nature f the
nameless
virtues s
virtues,
ristotle
rovides
no
conclusive
easonnot
o consider hem
irtues. now
wish o consider
the
positive
easons or
xtending
he ist fvirtues
o nclude hem.
AtthebeginningfNicomacheanthics, ristotleresentsnimpor-
tant
rgument
elating
uman
happiness
nd the virtues o
human
nature
EN
1
7).
Happiness
onsists
n
carrying
ut
distinctively
uman
activity
ell,
.e.,
n
accordance
withvirtue
and
it also
requires
he
wherewithal
odo
so).
Therefore
t s reasonable
o
expect
he
articular
virtues o
allow their
ossessors
o
make
good
use
oftheir
pecifically
human
ttributes
nd hence
oflourish
s
human
eings.
All the thical
virtues
nvolve
easoning,
central
uman
ctivity,
ut
they
ach
pick
up
on other
articular
spects
f
human
nature s well.
The nameless
virtues re
no
exception.
ildness oncerns
he
motion f
nger.
he
virtue
oncerning
mall
honours
oncerns
hedesire
for
pproval
r
respectna small cale.The hreether ameless irtuesoncernpeech
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Aristotle'sNameless'Virtues
13
and the ense fhumour
besides
ction),
hich re lso
special
harac-
teristicsf
human
nimals
ccording
o Aristotle.23
The nameless
irtues
pecifically
oncern
uman
elationships
nd
community,
oth
he
ways
n
which he
gent
hould
present
imself
and treat ther
eople,
nd the
ways
n
whichhe should
ccept
heir
treatment
f
him.
Thesevirtues hereforeeal with most
mportant
aspect
of human
nature,
he social. As Aristotle
oints
ut,
human
beings
re
political
nimals,
ending y
nature o ive
together'
EN
IX
9,
1169bl8-19
f. N
1
7,
1097bll).
The nameless irtues re ust s importants their amed ompan-
ions,
ot
nly
ecause
hey
elate
o
mportant
spects
f
human
ctivity,
but lso because
hey
re
necessary
or
ny
human
ommunity
o
exist
as a
community.hey rovide ecessary
onditions or human
om-
munity
o flourish
nd
are
part
f
hat
lourishing
tself.
lthough
heir
expression ay
differrom
lace
to
place, hey
hemselvesre not
par-
ticular o
anyplace
or time r
even,
despite
Aristotle'sccasional
om-
ments o
the
ontrary,
lass nd sex.
n
the
ase of he
nameless
irtues,
it s
particularly
lear hat
hey
ranscendhe
arochial
reek
ulture f
thefourth
entury
.C.
Onemight bject hat heexercise f thenameless irtues smade
redundant
y
the xercise f henamed
irtues,
specially,
or
xample,
justice.
he
objection
ails,
ut
not
because thenameless
irtues
nly
concern
rivate
ifewhereas henamed irtues
oncernife
n
the
ublic
sphere.24
ather,
t
fails ecause
f
one acks
hevirtue f
mildness,
or
23 On the elationo
peech
nd
anguage,
ee Pol1
2,
1253a9-18nd
Top
4,
102a
0-2;
on
aughter,
ee
PA II
10,
73a8 nd
673a28.
24
Gauthiernd
Jolif
rgue
hat
ruthfulness,
riendlinessnd
wit oncern
ife
n
ociety
where his xcludes
ublic
ife nd
business,
hich
hey
laim
s the
province
f
justice
Aristote:
'Ethique
Nicomaque,
ol
I,
pars
1,
304-5).
his
estrictionn the
scope
of
thenameless irtuess
unwarranted.
he
nameless irtues re
useful,
indeed
specially
seful,
or uman
elationships
n
the
ublic
phere,
or
xample
for
he
iplomat
ho
s
negotiating
treaty
r
for he
dvertiser
elling
ares.
rue,
Aristotle
enies
hat
dr|0eia
overs ontracts
EN
IV
7,
1127a33-4)
hich re the
province
f
ustice,
ut
Aristotleeednot e
contrasting
he
ublic
phere
with
he
private.
ather,
e s
contrasting
hat s
covered
y
the
aws of he
ity
nd what
is not.
Virtuous
onduct
n
abiding y
a
contracts
the
province
f aw.
Virtuous
conduct
n
entering
nto he ontractn
the irst
lace
s not.
Both
ypes
f onduct
are
n
the ublic phere.
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Aristotle'sNameless'Virtues
15
4, 1125b21-5,
uoted
bove
n
section
I).
Indeed,
n examination
f he
nameless
irtues
rings
ut the
significance
f Aristotle'snnovative
triadic iew of thevirtues
nd
vices embodied
n
his
doctrine f the
mean. As Aristotle imself
ays,
It is a
good
idea to examine he
nameless irtues
s well s the thers.
or
f
we discuss
articular
spects
of haracterne
at a
time,
we
will
cquire
better
nowledge
f
hem;
and
f
we
survey
he irtues
nd
see
that n
ach asethe
irtues
a
mean,
we
will
have more onfidence
n
ourbelief hat
hevirtues re means'
(IV
7
1127al5,
r.
rwin,
my mphasis).
I hope to have shownthatthenamelessvirtues re at least as
important
s their amed
companions
nd that
tudying
hem
asts
new
light
n the
point
f
thedoctrine f the
mean,
specially
n the
idea
that
ach virtue as more han
one associated
ice. Not
only
s
Aristotle'sreatment
f thenameless irtues
mportant
n
confirming
his doctrine
f the
mean,
but it
shows
very learly
hat
Aristotle
s
more nnovativehan
has often een
thought.
s
an
added
bonus,
my
discussion f the
namelessvirtue
oncerning
mall
honours ends
support
o the view that
Aristotle's icomachean
thics
s the more
mature
work.27
lthough
he
namelessvirtues
re
nameless,
hey
shouldnotbe consignedoanonymity.28
Department
f
Philosophy
University
f
Wisconsin
5185H.C.
WhiteHall
600
North ark
treet
Madison,
WI
53706
U.S.A.
27
A.J.P.
enny,
ho
hallenges
his iew
n
his
book,
he
Aristotelian
thics:
Study
of
he
Relationship
etween he
Eudemian nd
Nicomachean
thics
f
Aristotle
Oxford:
Oxford
niversity
ress,
978)
oes not
discuss he
nameless irtues.
28
Especial
hanks o T.M.I.
Penner,
. Meinwald
nd
N. Sherman
or
ery elpful
discussionnd
riticismsf n
earlier raft.
have
lso
benefitedrom
he
uestions
of
C.
Card,
B.
Enc.,
M.
Munn,
H.
Newell,
.
Sober,
.
Van
Ophuijsen,
.
Weitzman
and
K.
Yandell.
should
ike to thank
he
Center or
Hellenic
tudies
for he
opportunity
o
complete
his
aper.