Habituation (Aristotle)

A detailed Summary of Habituation (Aristotle)

In Aristotle's book he argues that no act is served for the purpose of the act itself, but rather that all acts have some ultimate goal. For humans the ultimate goal is happiness. The only way that happiness as a whole can be achieved is through moral virtue. For someone to be virtuous they can not simply perform a virtuous act or two, but must always act virtuously. That is the basis for habituation and the reason that it is so very important. It is also for this reason that only those with the proper upbringing can be competent students of ethics and politics. In stressing such a great importance on habituation Aristotle can not truly blame people for how their process of habituation turns out. By the time we have reached the stage in our lives to make proper choices our habits have already been deeply embedded within us.

It is important that we understand the meaning of happiness in Aristotle's eyes. People can be happy at any given by time by either their actions or the outcomes of their actions. However happiness is quite different. Aristotle goes out of his way to point out the fact that happiness can only be achieved by serving for an ultimate good. This good is moral virtue. This is because achieve

Habituation in Aristotle's application is acting virtuously all the time so that doing what ought to be done becomes a habit. It is important that a person acts virtuously out of the knowledge that he is doing what is right, not by mere coincidence. Only when virtue is understood can it be reinforced by habit. This has to be intact in order for virtue to be able to be taught. Believing this, Aristotle includes on people with the appropriate upbringing in his lectures on ethics. It has to be understood that in Aristotle's mind politics is the greatest way to reflect our inner virtue. In understanding virtue, the starting point that he feels is most effective is starting with what is known to us. For this very reason only those who have been brought up with being taught the proper moral conduct can truly be taught what is right and wrong. That is to say that only those who have had the proper habits embedded in them since birth have the proper knowledge which serves to be the building blocks of his teachings on ethics.

Aristotle is wise in saying that the ultimate goal of all people is happiness. Although in philosophy a lot of times you have to provide a lot of support for claims that you make any honest person could not argue that their ultimate goal is not to be happy. Once you attach reason as a human quality, which Aristotle did, you are automatically inferring that all of our actions out of choice. No matter the reason for our specific choices, there is no choice that we would be able to make without getting pleasure out of the outcome. Whether our decisions are selfish, selfless or even self-destructive they all involve pleasure: whether momentarily or ultimately. This is a point that no sane person could argue against other than for the sake of arguing. Aristotle is good in making the power of happiness clear, but he follies when claiming that virtue is the means in which happiness is reached. He robs our animal instincts of their role in achieving happiness. We use reason as a way to moderately control our instincts. However, those very instincts are the very reason that happiness is obtainable. No one could think himself or herself into a state of happiness. They have to feel it. Aristotle should look as reason as more of a way to determine how to be happy, rather than a way of being happy. More importantly he makes a huge error in claiming that virtue is the means to ultimate happiness. If doing what ought to be done is the highest in the hierarchy of happiness, then all other means of happiness would lead up to virtue. For a man who wants to do something he knows he ought not do, for it does not serve the greater good, he would only choose to do what is right if the consequences of not doing what is right would make him more unhappy than following his will

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Approximate Word count = 1897
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

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