The Philosophies Of Aristotle And Confucius - 978 Words

What is virtue? The philosophies of Aristotle and Confucius establish virtue as a moral trait that encompasses love, courage, good manners, and happiness. To achieve virtue, one must display qualities of altruism and promote benevolence in every action. The virtuous person lives by a high moral standard that is achieved through the habitual conditioning of disposition. Temperament is trained by recurrently choosing the best course of action or the one that causes the least amount of pain or suffering towards others. The virtuous person, in Confucian principles, performs in accordance to ren to achieve the dao. According to Aristotle, the pinnacle of virtue is happiness. Therefore, the philosophies of Aristotle and Confucius can be used to†¦show more content†¦Confucius argues that the junzi treats all beings as equals regardless of where the person may lie in any social structure that separates individuals living in wealth from those whom live in poverty. The philosophy of t he junzi, abiding by the aspects of ren is: â€Å"Do not do unto others what you would wish done to you† (Confucius, 12.2). The argument by Confucius is that the person who lives in ren will achieves dao, a world transformation where a person’s temperament is harmonious with nature. The conditions of the junzi compares to the ideas of a virtuous person as outlined by Aristotle, who argue that a person of virtue constantly acts in a way in which their actions seek happiness, which is the ultimate good. This resembles the idea of the junzi displaying ren to attain dao. Confucius and Aristotle both agree that that virtue is neither taught nor learned, but rather something that comes from habituation. Aristotle states that: â€Å"the proper excellence or virtue of man will be the habit or trained faculty that makes a man good and makes him perform his function well† (Aristotle, 42). In order for a person to obtain virtue, their actions have to be one of second, almost first, nature. Virtue is a natural custom that is performed via the natural will of a person and not from instruction. In the Analects of Confucius, the Master talks about treating everyone as an honored guest when stepping out the frontShow MoreRelatedEssay about Confucius and Aristotle on Virtue953 Words   |  4 PagesConfucius and Aristotle on Virtue Lisa Wilson Dr. Malone Date 12/5/2015 Confucius and Aristotle are some of the greatest thinkers in the history of mankind. 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