Short Paper 05

“Can Virtue be Habit and Still be Virtuous?”

According to Aristotle, virtue is a habit: “Ethics is not merely a theoretical study for Aristotle.

Unlike any intellectual capacity, virtues of character are dispositions to act in certain ways in

response to similar situations, the habits of behaving in a certain way. Thus, good conduct arises

from habits that in turn can only be acquired by repeated action and correction, making ethics

an intensely practical discipline.”

Aristotle argued that when you begin, virtue as a habit involves a deliberate decision. The habit

of righteousness is not yet established, but one gets accustomed to virtuous conduct over time

and one behaves virtuously after a while without having to use volition. It is now part of you and

how you behave. You've been virtuous. The philosophy of Aristotle leaves several questions

unanswered (some of those questions he addresses in other places). It doesn't tell you which

actions, for instance, are virtuous or why. However, as a guide to rational behavior, it is helpful

to think of virtue as a habit.

Life can be difficult, and the more pieces of it you work with without having to worry about

them, the smoother it becomes. Most of my life is dominated by patterns, and it's also the part of

life that fits best. When the alarm sounds, I get up; brush my teeth; turn the coffee on; put the

paper in; and let the dog out.

I'm not sure if all of the acts actually count as noble, but all of them need to be performed and it

makes life simpler to do them immediately. I have always questioned if the reason why full

sobriety works well for someone with an addiction is actually that it becomes a habit not to drink

(or not to do anything). A pattern is maybe a beneficial anecdote of a desire to do wrong.

Look at someone doing what they've done for years and doing good, and odds are every time

they do it in the same way. Sometimes before serving, they bounce the tennis ball twice or place

the ingredients in the bowl in the same order to make a dessert, but success is always the product

of habit. I assume that's one of the benefits we have over youthful youngsters for older, more

seasoned jobs. Instead of much of the job that needs to be completed, we've made habits.

When self-control is practiced in order to develop patterns of good conduct, virtue is better

attained. Part of the cause is that a strenuous, expensive company with inconsistent outcomes is

the use of determination to avoid temptation. Habits are far more precise than that. In preventing

temptation, virtuous behaviours can be more successful than in fighting it. It is not easy to

remove impulses within oneself. (This is also why many of history's great saints described

themselves as dreadful sinners. They knew they had plenty of desires for sin.

But goodness is not the avoidance of appetite for sin, notwithstanding the desire to sin, it is the

absence of sin! Through resisting the external factors that cause them, one may prevent inner

inclinations and vulnerabilities from blossoming into full-blown cravings and desires. The

former alcoholic understands the bars must be stopped. The seasoned dieter knows not to have

ready at home fattening foods. In such situations, even though the inner drive still produces a

solid, particular urge once in a while, the absence of opportunity saves the day.

There can be a moment of vulnerability, where resolve is poor and sweet memories contribute to

cravings, but despite the fact that the entity is momentarily inclined to give in, whether there are

no pastries or alcohol or drinks available, virtue remains unchanged.