Aristotle & Virtue Theory: Crash Course Philosophy #38

This week we explore the final ethical theory in this unit: Aristotle’s virtue theory. Hank explains the Golden Mean, and how it exists as the midpoint between vices of excess and deficiency. We’ll also discuss moral exemplars, and introduce the concept of “eudaimonia.”
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[@chowtom5174]

Eudaimonia is....... finishing my essay the night before the deadline and still have time to catch plenty of sleep

[@HI1804]

*sees thief* "Could i please check your age, height,weight,strength,stamina,agility, intelligence and overall dexterity before we do this"

[@nono-hp5kx]

i agree that naturally become a good person by having good intent and wisdom and focus with passion (i theorize passionate view of the world and inner philosophy) makes someone virtuous but i dont agree that EVERYTHING is in the middle I think that there need to be a good balance like he said, but some things are both closer to the stronger (extremes) but in the middle in total/part at the same time let's say there you had an bag full of wood, and important items are not in your bag and you might be able to fight the guy, then you make a deal to give that bag to the robber if he leaves the grandma alone and you do it by offering him your bag full of shitty wood and luring him away from the old lady by leaving your bag on the floor and laying down 25 feet next to it, but you dont fight him, that is both less rekless than typical courage but more brave and virtuous than typical courage so it is both i think the philosophical psychology of aristotle is that he knew the good focus created good virtuous character, but he did not know how to justify his theory and lol

[@abrahamrocha4763]

Omg 😲 YOUR'E GORGEOUS!!!

[@maerythegreek9008]

@@nono-hp5kx Aristole believed actually that the better "road" for everything is in the middle,a balance between good and bad (lack and exaggeration). He admits that both exist but middle is right way in art,in life and to achieve our goals.. It's a shame that we can't find the middle in today's civilisation of fanatism and decline! (Anyway I gave exams on this subject..)

[@minissa2009]

@@maerythegreek9008 This is a key feature of what the Buddha taught!

[@maerythegreek9008]

@@minissa2009 Yes! The phyloshophy of Budishm was this idea of the "middle" Western philosophy has this "white and black" destinction but the Asiatic has grey zones!

[@CANomad27]

When you sit in a classroom for 4 months and then get more information from a video that's not even 10 min long.

[@carsonbarlow348]

+

[@PragmaticAntithesis]

RIP traditional education.

[@josephinemcgregor]

yep

[@JBLuv78]

Know the feeling. I consider the classroom months "stewing" and these videos "enjoying the finished product"

[@Matthew-fh4xo]

you had a grant or a scholarship, or you just wasted a lot of money... j/k

[@johngeronimo8821]

1:55 Functions of Human 2:27 What is virtuous? 3:01 Virtue and Mesotes 3:25 Example of Virtue as Mesotes(middle) 6:06 Virtue as a Practical Wisdom 6:16 Habit 6:33 Moral Exemplars 7:20 Eudaimonia

[@alexispawson6976]

MinaLisa Perriano you’re a saint

[@wazoowi]

You're a godsend thank u mate

[@wheresmyeyebrow1608]

Why would you make timestamps for a 9 minute video?

[@johngeronimo8821]

@@wheresmyeyebrow1608 oh im sorry sir. I made this stamps to my classmates in College to understand this topic. I send the link and this comments to know its overall content.

[@johnpaulpineda2476]

@@wheresmyeyebrow1608 Why bother bro? It's really a helpful one. :) It really saves alot of time. don't you mind. ;)

[@Disobeyedtoast]

I think it's important to note that the "golden mean" isn't necessarily always the mathematical mean, it can be closer to one vice than the other.

[@Desolation66]

The golden mean switches based on the situation. So the mugger example, the mean is closer to recklessness, but if someone has a gun to your face demanding money the mean is closer to cowardice.

[@grimtheghastly8878]

Virtue theory: I WANNA BE! THE VERY BEST! LIKE NO ONE EVER WAS!

[@Citelq]

Hooray for free education!

[@K4R3N]

It's from PBS, your taxes paid for this. Nothing is free.

[@Lightning_Lance]

I think I'm with Aristotle on this one.

[@angelic8632002]

Me too. Imagine if everyone followed this life philosophy. The golden rule essentially. Act in accordance with how you yourself would wish to be treated(works in most cases). We would also work much better as a society since individual happiness is often dependent on how well the group is doing. And Aristotle clearly recognizes our basic human need for community. Its literally in out DNA. Of course the goal is always to give individuals the freedom to express themselves in accordance with their nature, as long as it doesn't get in the way of others ability to do the same. The collaboration of the group is an ends to a means. Not the goal in and of itself. A tool, but a tool we all have an equal right to.

[@Triumph263]

I think Plato had some great ideas but Aristotle's always seem to be more practical. Plato's ideas were thought provoking but Aristotle's ideas seem to be timeless, irrefutable and worth following rather than just contemplating. It doesn't matter if you believe in God, gods, no god(s) or a spaghetti monster; Aristotle's golden mean makes sense. How many philosophers can actually create philosophies that everyone can agree on that isn't blatantly obvious?

[@minionr4207]

The theory does have flaws, but so does every theory. I tend to approach philosophy in an individualistic sense, meaning that I pick and choose parts that define my personal viewpoint. The golden mean is one of the useful things I take, as well as parts of pragmatism (judging things based on practical value), and bits of Confucian social theory, and many other bits and pieces.

[@U_F_N_M]

+Bob Stanvo : I would say the reason you need to keep working at eudaimonia is not for reasons of self satisfaction, which is a conceit. You seem to completely skim over the part where it is explained that the golden mean is situational, not categorical. You don't get to decide what is right. You take stock of the situation through the mindset of pragmatic empathy. There is always a new situation, new information, social paradigm shifts. The nature of reality is changed by our perceptions of it and we must adapt to the ways our virtue is challenged. Ultimately, the best thing about virtue is that as long as you actively seek the golden mean in every situation, it doesn't mater what the government, or the religion, or the media, or your friends and family say. You will know the right way to act and think if you pursue the path of virtue.

[@blond_bolshevik]

Bob Stanvo but Aristotle does in fact have a more exclusive conception of eudaimonia, i.e., it is not as subjective as this video makes it sound. Aristotle says that all humans have logos, or reason (also translated as language), and we use logos to communicate with one another because living in complete isolation (for a human being) is practically impossible. So we are meant to live in cities or communities, and insofar as this is the case, we must possess virtues and exercise virtuous activity so as to continue living and make possible the best life available to humans, i.e., virtuous activity and theoretical wisdom. So by adopting some relativist conception of human eudaimonia that does not include practical or theoretical wisdom, than you are not acting in accordance with nature. In other words, you are not performing the function of good human being, and so your action can never be good for you

[@manosdiamantaras1469]

I'm from Greece and eudaimonia ("ευδαιμονία", but you may also see it as "εὐδαιμονία" from anciet greek) is come from 2 words. The 1st word is the prefix "ευ-" which means good and the 2nd word is "δαίμονας" (or "δαίμων" on ancient greek) which means demon. But we use this word in order to say: This man has good spirit (Αυτός ο άντρας είναι καλόψυχος).

[@justtheouch]

Thank you for the insight!

[@manosdiamantaras1469]

Josh Cottle You are welcome ^_^

[@jimjim3979]

Glad you cleared it up. But actually demon is misleading because back in antiquity demon didn't insinuate sin and bad spirits e.t.c it just meant gods but not the 12 gods ,rather the gods who distributed to someone their features . (διανέμω >δαίμων) . They were something like the Fates (Klotho , Atropos, Lachesis ) . For example, Socrates in Symposium calls Love s Demon because love more or less fixes our lifes

[@daxnihilson9380]

So a few comments: 1. The place of virtue in the soul is important to note because of Aristotle's ultimate goals. For Aristotle, the ultimate goal is happiness (which we know because everyone desires it), and happiness for Aristotle is rational activity of the soul in accordance with virtue. This is because there are essentially three parts of the soul to Aristotle (well, two and a half). The first part is pure reason, the rational part of the soul. The other parts of the soul could both be considered "nonrational," but one of them (the appetitive part), is capable of following reason. The reason I bring this up is because it's necessary to know to understand why virtue is important at all- it's the means of the nonrational to cooperate with the rational. 2. Virtue is not an arithmetic mean, but rather a circumstantial one. Hank somewhat implies this, but it's important to be said more fully, as the interpretation of it as an arithmetic mean was done extensively in the middle ages, which is actually a pretty terrible misreading. Consider the purpose of a virtue like temperance- if someone has the virtue of temperance, they are able to fight against the urges of the body and have reason overcome them. Considering this an arithmetic mean, like the church did, puts a hard limit on not doing things like drinking, which removes the focus of the virtues from the idea of cooperation with rationality. Like I said, the rationalism is important. 3. Virtue also can't just be done, it has to be intended. Children are able to do virtuous things by accident, but that does not mean they are virtuous. This is something that Hank actually misses a bit. The importance of intention, once again, connects to the idea of rationality. I bring this all up because it's easy to overemphasize character virtues in Aristotle's works. The rational aspects of it are just as important, and shouldn't be neglected to be noted in an introductory video. Not criticizing, just expanding.

[@kaerblover]

"Eudaimonia doesn’t mean a life of cupcakes and rainbows. It means the sweet pleasure of sinking into bed at the end of an absolutely exhausting day. It’s the satisfaction of knowing you’ve accomplished a lot, and that you’ve pushed yourself to be the very best person you could be." ~Crash Course Philosopy #38

[@IvanDo0m]

I study philosophy, and I can confirm, this was spot on. The examples you used, were really good. Keep up the good work. :)

[@deehall7371]

This channel is getting me an A on two papers and two exams

[@Obtaineudaimonia]

Eudaimonia. So important I named my channel after it. Great video guys.

[@GogiRegion]

(+Eudaimonia) 😆 Legit, though, that is cool.

[@placeholdername3818]

I'm going to be disappointed if your channel isn't about achieving that.

[@nono-hp5kx]

i agree that naturally become a good person by having good intent and wisdom and focus with passion (i theorize passionate view of the world and inner philosophy) makes someone virtuous but i dont agree that EVERYTHING is in the middle I think that there need to be a good balance like he said, but some things are both closer to the stronger (extremes) but in the middle in total/part at the same time let's say there you had an bag full of wood, and important items are not in your bag and you might be able to fight the guy, then you make a deal to give that bag to the robber if he leaves the grandma alone and you do it by offering him your bag full of shitty wood and luring him away from the old lady by leaving your bag on the floor and laying down 25 feet next to it, but you dont fight him, that is both less rekless than typical courage but more brave and virtuous than typical courage so it is both i think the philosophical psychology of aristotle is that he knew the good focus created good virtuous character, but he did not know how to justify his theory

[@CaptainHarlock-kv4zt]

Ευδαιμονια *(Greek)

[@NN-rs1ny]

your channel is amazing

[@akap]

Aristotle V Godzilla NEEDS to be a movie.

[@johnarbuckle2619]

JudaTheIsm YES

[@SomePointlessShit]

I'm not sure why but I read that as Gorillaz...

[@drefir42]

SomePointlessShit Also yes!

[@pena9530]

all of the yes

[@Triumph263]

"Being a super-powerful all-mighty lizard-thing may be awesome but you're doing it in excess!" *throws car at him*

[@eddieking2976]

Reminds me of the "middle path", in Buddhist philosophy.

[@adamforsstrand2048]

While that's kinda true, I believe none of those (the "golden mean" and the "middle path") overlap one another. It's just another golden nugget of life. Take these philosophies together: the "middle path" (buddhism), the "golden mean" (aristotle) and the "golden rule" (Confucius, "Treat others as you'd want to be treated" for short), and they're all kinda related, but they only reinforce themselves as ideas and philosophies of life (and death), together to create a somewhat "Golden Path".

[@phils0209]

you can practically exchange the word 'virtue' in the video with 'wisdom'

[@taschke1221]

adam forsstrand I'd have to say the US Army Rangers have them all beat. "Do as the natives do." Of course you have to take a general concensus to get a handle on social norms, you can't just take the first knucklehead you see and make them the gold standard. You take what you know and you give concideration to the environment your in and act accordingly. If you've been paying attention up to that point and not self-absorbed, you'll do just fine. People tend to stress about their own problems to a point that they haven't really made the time to consider the problems of others. You may have a brother or sister or many who are in the same boat, literally or by means of the stress it causes them, emotionally, physically, etc. Everyone's problems are great to themselves because they effect us directly but other peoples' problems have indirect effects that can be just as important (i.e. they lash out one day, they pass away, they quit their job, they give up on getting a job, they are angry or sad and it slowly makes you angry or sad, etc.) It's too deep for me to encompass in a single message but I hope I've made and reenforced my point from an angle that a) you may not have thought of and b) turns out to be positively influential influential some way.

[@andrejansen3281]

Indeed, very similar. I would call Buddhist ethics virtue ethics. Although in Buddhism, morality alone is just the beginning' and morality alone doesn't give rise to eudaimonia or release from sufferring. Morality is a foundation from which to build wisdom, or insight into the true nature of things in order to avoid the trappings of craving, attachment and other delusions. For example, coping with the loss of loved ones, rejection, poor health, and the subtle rise and fall of the ego - all the while acting morally unblameworthy. It's broken down into 1. Avoid the bad (morality) 2. Do only good (skillful action and kindness - also included in virtue theory) and 3. Purify the mind (meditation and contemplation)

[@ishmaelforester9825]

Out of interest, have you seriously studied Aristotelian or Buddhist ethics? With the utmost respect, I have to say there really is nothing you have apparently imbibed from the US Army Rangers that was not profoundly explored and considered by those noble traditions thousands of years ago.

[@reggiewatts1926]

I love crash course man.

[@nachochips8090]

I love crash course, man

[@therongjr]

reggie watts I love Crash Course Men and Women both!

[@cappsbriley]

His name is hank green or something

[@lukassnakeman]

CC philosophy is my favorite CC series

[@jmiquelmb]

That was a nice positivistic approach compared to other previous ones. Also, Eudaimonia is a fun word. Eudaimonia. Haha. Eudaimonia

[@0744401]

How insulting.

[@Jus10Ed]

Eudaimonia. Eudaimonia. You're right; that is fun.

[@jmiquelmb]

Why?

[@0744401]

Calling someone a positivist is one of the worst insults you can call a modern philosopher. It's tantamount to saying they are a pretentious bag of hot air and nonsense.

[@jmiquelmb]

Annaelle Jacques-Morel Well, I meant that it feels more positive to me. "If you try to behave well on a daily basis, you'll do good." English is not my first language, so maybe I didn't explained well.

[@stuffwithsoph8264]

God I love Philosophy.

[@semaeraslan7714]

This is by far one of the most well-done videos i've ever watched recently. I like the content, the way it's put.. Really appreciate your work! Thanks Crash Course!

[@Dyslexic-Artist-Theory-on-Time]

These Greeks were ahead of their time! What a great theory!!!

[@DianaSofronieva]

They were not 'ahead of their time'. It was a cultured civilization which is in certain ways far better than our own, one of the best times and places for a person to live in. Our age is in certain ways barbaric compared to theirs.

[@jerrymcghoulberry355]

Diana Sofronieva Please explain why you view our society as barbaric.

[@bernardoqalopio1262]

@@jerrymcghoulberry355 lol

[@jerrymcghoulberry355]

@Τυχαίος 'Ελληνας Wow that's such a cool story.

[@jerrymcghoulberry355]

@Τυχαίος 'Ελληνας Also no.

[@TheTexas1994]

It's a good thing John didn't do this episode. All he'd say is "Everything Aristotle is wrong and I hate him. You shouldn't believe anything he says as it's automatically wrong"

[@vitamindubya]

Nicolas Gleason-Boure lol that's funny

[@agente00gable]

who is john?

[@vitamindubya]

guns, John and steel

[@Pyriold]

John Greene, Hank's even more famous brother.

[@ncooty]

And he would be right.

[@KC-ge1vf]

Thank you so much for making these videos. You're making student's life 100x easier, and it's good for people who's not in school to know something valuable in a very concentrate time. I will keep watching your videos even after I graduate!

[@jacquelinealmazan9169]

Thank you so much for breaking this down for me! My professor had us reading long essays to learn about virtue ethics but I understood nothing until I came across your crash course. Thank you!

[@jakekimds]

I heard that as the "Golden Meme"

[@TorquemadaTwist]

Harambe?

[@forteastro6996]

same, lmao. I had to reread the label.

[@junesept234]

hhahahha..lol

[@FalbertForester]

Well, yes, it is, in the sense that it's a good meme, and deserves to be propagated, IMO.

[@keegster7167]

To be honest, you need a very high IQ to unserstand it. The humor is extremely subtle, and most of the jokes will go over a typical viewer's head.

[@7Bobby7]

When you learn about philosophies and realise you've been following them (at least partially) unconsciously

[@TheRocketeerFly]

This has been the path I've been trying to traverse. Being the best kind of person. To become fulfilled without stepping on others. Doing the right thing. Sharing smiles and laughter and can't handle it when I hurt people or make them sad.

[@melonlord5711]

This is my favorite philosophy theory so far. It's far more realistic and applicable in the real world than Kantian ethics for example (in my opinion).

[@KiiNETiiK]

This is the first moral theory that resonates with me. I personally relate more with this theory than the others. Thank you for sharing Crash Course.

[@Qwynry]

this is a whole lot more wholesome than i expected it to be

[@masonbloomquist2124]

i love this its like "if you do it right you'll know what do do" "ok then what do i do?" "your doing it wrong"

[@KittyCatThang]

Eudaimonia might just be a new favorite word for me. :)

[@wades_world22]

Your videos are such a huge help!!! They have been a great resource for helping me succeed in my Ethics college class. Thank you!

[@sethielundomiel]

Hank thanks for making my day better. More power to you and the others in crash course

[@emilycharlotte3042]

You seem to upload topics on the days I learn them, aren't you a godsend💛

[@djbslectures]

5:13 is good, constructive advice to 99% of KZbin comments

[@emoore29681]

DJBsLectures yes, really. I don't have the time to diffuse cyber wars on a daily basis, but I usually end up doing that anyway.

[@matth1005]

Your comment is stupid

[@louiseheiwood2688]

This video is making me feel bad about procrastinating on writing my novel

[@EliasFlening]

Louise Heiwood keep at it!

[@taylorwhitt3974]

If productivity is the rate of output per unit of input, then look at your procrastination as a way of finding the "Golden Mean". If you write your novel in excess, it likely will not be a quality novel as it will be rushed. Instead of saying I will write X number of pages, try outlining the novel, or simply allotting time to think about the novel. It may simply be that you need to manage time more so than actually write it. Best of luck on your novel!

[@louiseheiwood2688]

Taylor Whitt thanks! That's a really good way of looking at it. I've been making pretty steady progress since. I've been finishing about a chapter a week, and I'm on track to finish another one this week :)

[@taylorwhitt3974]

Louise Heiwood woo!

[@Creepzza]

Really loved this thread. I am also hard on myself even though many would consider me an inspiring person. I would recommend seeing yourself like you see other humans - in a third perspective. The fact that we criticize ourselves and even watching a video like this really says something about us. Peace!

[@alvinrozon2687]

Thank you Crash Course for reminding me how much of a virtue ethicist I am and how I should never forget the goal of Eudaimonia. This is why I buy stuff from your website.

[@gabriellechristophers9205]

Hank and co. Thank you for this. I needed more understanding for my assignment and have ended up watching the whole series in philosophy because it's just so dang interesting. Particular highlight was family obligation must bring that one up next with my father....... Am onto Big history now.

[@marinayeary2318]

Can Crash Course please do a series on math, including things like statistics, probability and experimental design? Thank you :)

[@KerenLalay]

Such a great lesson. Couldn't understand the virtue theory from my lecture material but now I do thanks to this video.

[@libertyam8205]

bless your soul, you don’t know how much this helps me in my class. I was so lost but it all is making sense because of you. Thanks man.

[@mirumiru3951]

Thanks so much! I've been barely learning anything in the class and you just simplified everything af! Awesome job, man!

[@Thunderwalker87]

Virtue theory and eudaimonia are in particular favorites of mine.

[@zaubertomate665]

I love the intro. It always makes me happy :)

[@catlover-hq4dt]

I love these videos. I hope they won't end.

[@alexandraplantone8767]

Watched this video two years ago. It changed my life.

[@johannaschramm1558]

This is crazy, Crashcours always makes a video about something exactly when I am learning this at school Thanks for being awesome !!

[@thaylinxie]

You help like no other. I researched so much on eudaimonia and I didn't understand it till this video. I'm so happy. Passing Humanities Midterm lets goooooooo

[@jcruz821]

I don't know how, but this channel has been releasing videos that sync up with the topics in my philosophy class. just yesterday we finished up virtue ethics.

[@simoncowardiscowelll]

Please keep on making more philosophy videos....i love them and it makes learning more fun and enjoyable.....thank you.....

[@NeilSonOfNorbert]

watching this i was stunned by how precisely this describes my morality, with the exception of believing everyone is instinctively moral. striving for the happy middle between extremes, trying to be a good person as an active process, heck i almost literally live the flash philosophy example and came to the same conclusions. all this before i had ever heard of Aristotle's moral philosophy.

[@MikeH89]

The comments on Eudaimonia really meant a lot because I'm currently working full time and studying a law degree. A lot of mornings it's hard to get up but the sense of achievement at the end of the day is great

[@wildreams]

God Bless. Non-religious, but you get it.

[@kkbffeae]

This was very informative and educational! Thank you!

[@nixiswagger4224]

So grateful for these CrashCourse videos! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

[@aaronpederson8685]

Thank you. I needed to be reminded of Aristotle's teachings.

[@samuelpalomera9390]

I know

[@tarad4162]

I'm loving this philosophy series! I had started reading some books on philosophy right before the series started, and now this is another great place to start learning. Thanks Crash Course! 😊

[@Miguemnaco]

I think this is my favorite ethical theory so far

[@fatemaarsiwala1706]

Cannot thank you guys enough for this video and the channel!

[@plewelly]

I love this theory. This, for me, is generally the most helpful in terms of deciding how to act on the spot in ethically demanding decisions. I tend to ask myself, "what kind of person will deciding x make me?" Great coverage of the topic.

[@maimoonahira2024]

Thankyou crashcourse I badly need to understand it❤

[@matthewpavlik222]

These videos are awesome, and even more awesome that they are coming out as I am taking Ethics and Philosophy.

[@nvrfckwitme]

Thank you soo very much crashcourse. These videos are so detailed and informative as well as short. Hats off to you.

[@Hayley991]

I've only been in my summer class for a week but I can already tell these video will be the reason I pass...

[@DemonExecutor88]

one of my personal mottoes is "fake it till you make it" and whenever I tell someone that it is followed with, "Aristotle said that" and nobody believes me until i explain the nicomachean ethics

[@claytonhenrickson9326]

I like to own my ignorance during my growth. When I was a white belt in jiu jitsu and a rookie MMA fighter, the only folks that faked their way through were the chaff that was always separated from the wheat.

[@DemonExecutor88]

@@claytonhenrickson9326 i agree, its a good practice to own one's ignorance, its how we all grow together when there is a solid fraternal support structure in place and we can help each other out. there is very little room for arrogance when we are trying to grow :)

[@jessicafitzpatrick8438]

Thanks, I watch crash course for ethics before or after class lectures. Both go together really well.

[@brendantb-]

I'm convinced Hank would be the best teacher in any class he taught

[@dimitrisboulios]

This was a great video. As a greek myself, I'd like to share this information about the definition of Eudaimonia. We learn in school that the meaning of this word has been changed several times. The philosophers of the age before 500BC gave to this word the meaning of "Someone who gets anything he asks for from the Gods" (maybe because he is in good relationship with them). Then, around 500BC, Hippocrates, Demodocus and then Aristotle gave the meaning that we also use to day: "To be happy regardless of the situations, feeling accomplished for taking action always with good manners."

[@FirstRisingSouI]

This theory is beautiful. I think I'll try to incorporate it into my Practical Utilitarianism theory.

[@FirstRisingSouI]

I didn't say conventional utilitarianism, I said my theory of Practical Utilitarianism. I'm building my own moral theory based on logic and my own thinking.

[@0744401]

I fail to see how non-redundant the word «practical» is in this context.

[@FirstRisingSouI]

That's because I haven't explained it to you. Classical Utilitarianism states that an action is good based on its consequences. But we cannot see the future; when making moral decisions we can only predict a fraction of a percent of its consequences, making Utilitarianism impractical. My version says we should focus on the things that we know, and not take unnecessary risks claiming that the ends justify the means.

[@0744401]

This is no different from classical utilitarianism. In fact, in his book, «Utilitarism» John Stuart Mill addresses what you seem to think are problem to utilitarianism in the last 2 sections of the second chapter. Objection number 9 and 10 : Objection number 9 says that we can't know the future and calculating outcomes takes time and is uncertain, so what should we do. The answer is to follow the usual rules of ordinary morality (which is, as it turns out, virtue ethics). It is utilitaristic to do so, Mill argues, because we should assume that ordinary morality has been empirically successful at producing morality in most ordinary circumstances. (Ordinary here being, of course, a code-word for «in circumstances most familiar with straight cis white able-bodied adult men») Objection number 10 worries that utilitarianism be in such a way that agents would see their own examples as exceptional cases and be more inclined to make exceptions for themselves and trust in their own judgment. Mill then relfects and conclude that this is not a significant weakness of utilitarianism when compared to competing theories, and that utilitarianism has the advantage of being able to decisively resolve conflicts of moral obligations in a satisfactory manner and is thus superior that way because we can then easily spot and sanction those who make exceptions for themselves.

[@0744401]

TL:DR : 1- Classical Utilitarianism isn't broken in the ways you see and already has the fixes you claim to bring. 2- Classical Utilitarianism is broken in other ways, and modern utilitarianism already has the fixes for it.

[@JohnSmith-io3ii]

Wow I've been watching this show mostly for my own enjoyment, but this episode described exactly how I have been trying to live my life for some time. Thanks

[@HairbyTumsy]

This was super helpful, Thank you!

[@Hecatonicosachoron]

Etymologically you can break down eudaimonia to "eu"="good" and "daimon"="god" or "spirit". It's essentially the state where the "gods" seem to be conspiring in your favour.

[@DuranmanX]

In Aristotle's dream world, everyone is a Mary Sue

[@FirstRisingSouI]

That's a writing term, and it includes all kinds of characteristics, not just behavior.

[@jmiquelmb]

Adrian Duran Mary Sues are normally considered boring and irreal, more of a writer fantasy than a real character. The virtous person should be more nuanced, and not so manichean, in my opinion

[@Dantick09]

Adrian Duran He takes moral exemplars in an particular virtuous habit that they have honed, no one says they are good at everything. Real people they can't be Mary Sues

[@BlankPicketSign]

I would say that a REAL person being a Mary Sue would be a wonderful thing to have in Real Life. In stories they are boring, in Reality they are helpful and useful to others! But I also want to talk about what "is" a Mary Sue. I say there are no "Mary Sue Characters", Only "Mary Sue STORIES". How can I say that? You can always tell a Mary Sue by how the Plot seems to bend toward them, how other characters behave in a way that is Not realistic for them but Advantageous for the Sue. A Mary Sue doesn't even have to BE a "perfect person" but they do have to be disruptive to the story. Mary Sues step into a story like a Black Hole, warping the space around them and sucking up all the attention and glory, only to feed their hyper dense cores and growing to consume ALL! Whether they be perfect characters, or imperfect sympathetic beings, or even an Author Insert (With all the flaws and traits of the actual Author, a flesh and blood human turned to the page), A Mary Sue can come in almost any form. Therefor it is the *Story* that is the true culprit, *not the Character.* A "perfect character" can still exist without being a Mary Sue as long as their existence in the story is not warping the plot around them or bending other characters into unrealistic shapes. Captain America or Haruhi Suzimiya are good examples of "Sue-Esque" characters but who are fleshed out and not Actually Mary Sues. Because the Stories and Characters in which they live amongst do not twist and conform to their wills, desires, or convenience; instead they react naturally and have real consequences for their actions. There are no Mary Sue Characters, Only Mary Sue Stories. =^_^= Thank you for reading~

[@spindash64]

BlankPicketSign Does that make Jesus a Mary Sue?

[@Fsilvacanada]

This channel is FANTASTIC!

[@KeaJei]

I had been thinking this a lot recently. Some of the lectures here weren't on my philosophy class. Love this video!

[@mylittleflyaway]

I don't believe that virtue is something predestinated in our personality - but rather the development of human maturity. I do think positive actions are as useless as words as long as their intentions are meaningless or even harmful. But intentions and emotions, for me, tell you more about a person than their actions could, and can compromise a possible negative outcome. I believe that everybody deserves a second chance.

[@ShawnRavenfire]

Aristotle makes more sense than all the other philosophers on here put together.

[@therongjr]

Shawn Ravenfire John really hates on Aristotle a lot, but he certainly improved on Plato a great deal, IMHO.

[@eneses93]

It's starting to seem that for some time now philosophy has been evolving only to become harder to understand, but not necessarily more useful.

[@jhonjacson798]

actually, other people have pointed this out in the comments, but his ideas on virtue is kind of circular, how do you know good, through virtue, how do you recognize virtue, how do you recognize virtue, by living a life of eudaimonia, how do you live a life of eudaimonia, by being virtuous. This is the real problem with Aristotilian ethics, in fact from what I've heard... it isn't even really an ethics, according to my teacher (who granted might be wrong I havn't read arristotle myself) the way that some people are virtuous and some aren't is simply that some people are raised right. Yeah, as in you are just born a good person due to your circumstances, people born under the wrong circumstances can't really be virtuous (since virtue is more about your intentions and thoughts then your actions). It's a very rudimentary form of ethics that relies more on intuition then anything else.

[@rav781]

Totally agree. For years I'm in such an awe of his thoughts everytime I hear them.

[@GregTom2]

No he doesn't. He's just telling you what you want to hear unlike the other philosophers. The whole point of ethics is to know what is the right thing to do from the wrong thing to do. Virtue ethics don't do that at all. They're the worst ethical system of all because they aren't an ethical system.

[@ibradul]

my favourite episode thus far

[@KarstenOkk]

Churning the Philosophy episodes like a champ.

[@chanadomo]

Wanted to do more research on this after watching Pewdiepies vid

[@purplepoet6147]

Hello fellow 19 year old!

[@ahmedaltaf12131]

@@purplepoet6147 you also came from how to be happy video? oml

[@oussamasabouh8654]

@@ahmedaltaf12131 if you want to learn more about stoïcism.see the videos of "school of life"

[@alexmonte6371]

Great episode, however I would add one more aspect to the virtue theory: the idea that in order for a person to act virtuously, “in the first place he must have knowledge, secondly he must choose the acts, and choose them for their own sakes, and thirdly his action must proceed from a firm and unchangeable character”. This is a very important aspect of Aristotle's ethics that should not be overlooked

[@oscarfellows6709]

Alex Monteverde q

[@Sadiq1282]

PHILOSOPHERS FOR ALL TIME! Nicely explained.

[@vidhiagrawal3]

Thanks for the awesome lesson💙 Now found the word what I have been striving for- EUDAIMONIA

[@nachiketh3650]

"mastered the art of being a person" haha I like how that's phrased

[@Yosi-Berman]

So, Aristotle says you can't learn virtue from books, but I disagree. Maybe not from philosophy books, but from narrative fiction. Literature, Film, TV, Video games, etc. You as an individual can't experience even a small amount of every kind of scenario. But in a well told story with fleshed out characters you can imagine how such an experience might come to be, and what may come from different decisions made by those characters.

[@RGapskiM]

You're right, but I think what Aristotle meant was that you can't enunciate general rules that can be just applied because moral dilemmas, in reality, are complex. Narrative fiction doesn't deal with general rules, but with specific situations, therefore it probably wasn't really what he was talking about. Also, gotta remember that in his day books weren't available in all forms, amount and variety as today.

[@Yosi-Berman]

RGapskiM of course, narrative media wasn't... let's say what it is today. i also did that thing where I confused Aristotle and Socrates, who... if i remember correctly, wasn't a fan of the theater

[@NeilSonOfNorbert]

Aristotle might also say that moral exemplars can be fictional

[@ishmaelforester9825]

Aristotle deals with narrative media specifically in his famous and much admired and cited Poetics (absolutely an essential read for anybody seriously interested in narrative media). He is indeed concerned with more general principles in the Ethics.

[@ishmaelforester9825]

Socrates infamously attacks and exiles the poets in the Republic of Plato, but there is a debate over how serious he was and how ironic he was being in the context of that particular dialogue and the point he was making in that context. Throughout the Platonic dialogues Socrates refers to Homer and the dramatists over and over, sometimes positively, sometimes negatively, depending on the point he is attempting to make and the general theme of the discussion at hand. It might be true that narrative media was not exactly what it is today, but nobody who really knows Homer deludes themselves he is any less of a master and exemplar of the art of story than he ever was. The Greek philosophers almost lacked nothing when it comes to fundamentally meditating on the issue merely through knowing their Homer.

[@sophiekl340]

Delivered with just the right amount of sass! Thanks for this great video!

[@Bulldoghartl]

Awesome to find this and have you and your style deliver it. :P

[@maj.peppers3332]

I'm only subbed to Crash Course for this show :P

[@Qermaq]

You should check out some of the others. They're all this awesome if you're into it.

[@maj.peppers3332]

Spectrobits Just started watching it, its dope

[@TheMogul23]

The World History ones are excellent too. Check them out.

[@elephantwarrior53]

Me too

[@Dnlrmrez]

A good match is Astronomy for inspiration. Those are the first two playlists I've watched.

[@thepremeddiaries5877]

This is so much better and less confusing than actually reading Aristotle straight from my ethics book

[@user-ok3mn1oe2m]

Love ur vids. Help sooo much with studying

[@nvrfckwitme]

Thank u crashcourse. This was such an insightful episode and from now on I will also try to achieve that eudaimonia.

[@Asasnol21]

Eudaimonia. Eu( Greek for good) + Daimon ( Spirit,Soul ). Etymologically it means that you are not barely surving but having fun doing so. Being happy in an abstract way. I am a greek and we have to study ancient greek in the curriculum so i know.

[@clarissamercer2790]

That's is very interesting. Especially in that "eu" stands for good. "Eu" in Portuguese means "I". Does this again reinforce the idea that we are all "good" or at least striving for the good throughout our lives?

[@coltonmccoy1428]

That is really interesting, but I will just leave this here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymological_fallacy

[@lumam1562]

Obrigada por disponibilizar legendado em portugues (br) ;D amo vocês

[@anisargsyan3805]

Thank you for the amazing content and great explanation!

[@TheChainsbroken]

Awesome comments Mr. Thanks for enlighten us.

[@XavierGuillaume]

I study the Tao Te Ching and Lao Tzu is pretty much using this philosophy. How to live that happy median of doing the right thing but not too much or too little of the right thing. Also the Tao Te Ching is vague and instead of being rules it is more like guidelines. I think because Lao Tzu recognizes that rules would imply right and wrong and right and wrong would imply superiority within people, but Lao Tzu does not believe in superiority because he sees the natural goodness in everyone.

[@sketchyAnalogies]

Xavier Guillaume Humans have an infinite inalienable intrinsic value. This is distinct from moral and ethical superiority to one another. Hitler did ethically evil things. Mother Theresa did ethically good things. Obviously Mother Theresa is the more virtuous and better person, despite both Hitler and Mother Theresa having the same infinite inalienable intrinsic value. Moral exemplars are de facto better at virtue than those who are not. Virtue does not impact a person’s value.

[@leavealoner]

Aristotle plays DnD: his character has the highest charisma and wisdom of the party, purely because of virtue.

[@DeekyDeluxe]

Thanks crash course. I needed this video today.

[@BenCadetThePastafarian]

these make mondays AMAZING!!!!!!!