Golden mean
The golden mean is Aristotle's principle that virtue lies between two vices, one of excess and one of deficiency, relative to the particular person and situation. Courage, for example, sits between the excess of recklessness and the deficiency of cowardice. The mean is not a mathematical midpoint; it depends on the person, the circumstances, and practical judgment, which Aristotle calls phronesis.
Why it matters
It gives virtue ethics a working method for identifying virtues, rather than just a list of good traits to imitate.
Where it comes up
Sources
- Aristotle's Ethics Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Aristotle Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
