According to Aristotle's doctrine of the mean, courage is the virtue that lies between which two vices?
ARashness and cowardice
BPride and humility
CGenerosity and greed
DHonesty and deception
Courage is the mean between the excess of rashness (too much boldness) and the deficiency of cowardice (too little). The doctrine of the mean does not locate virtues at a mathematical midpoint but at the appropriate response relative to the situation, the person, and the circumstances.
Question 2 True / False
Eudaimonia, as Aristotle uses the term, is best understood as a pleasant subjective feeling of happiness.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: False
This is a common mistranslation. Eudaimonia means flourishing or living well — an objective condition of actualizing one's capacities as a rational, social being in accordance with virtue. It is an activity, not a feeling. A person can feel happy while failing to flourish, and can flourish while enduring hardship.
Question 3 Short Answer
What role does phronesis (practical wisdom) play in virtue ethics, and why can't virtues function without it?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: Phronesis is the intellectual virtue that enables a person to perceive what a situation requires and to apply the right virtue in the right way, to the right degree, at the right time. Without it, general virtues like courage or generosity cannot be reliably exercised — a person might be courageous in contexts that call for caution, or generous in ways that harm rather than help.
Virtue ethics avoids simple rules precisely because context matters. Phronesis is what allows virtuous dispositions to be situation-sensitive. It is the 'master virtue' that coordinates all others, which is why Aristotle treats it as both an intellectual and a moral achievement.