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The idea is a virtue is challenging to define, where some approached it as an absolute good and others viewed it solely as a utility. This is a case in regards to past thinkers Aristotle and Machiavelli, who had divergent perspectives on virtue. Aristotle’s views on the subject revolve around the idea of balance between scarcity and excess, whereas Machiavelli emphasizes the notion that one’s is not always capable to properly identifying what is virtuous or not, and thus, it is unreliable and should be used in a utilitarian way.
It is important to point out that Aristotle approaches virtue as an individual disposition. It is stated that the thinker separated moral virtue from civic virtue and defined it as one’s capability to avoid vices, which are manifested in any form of excess or scarcity (Mulieri 2). In other words, Aristotle viewed virtue as being in balance in regards to all aspects of life, where a person struggles to find and remain on the line between the two extremes. However, Machiavelli accentuates the utilitarian side of virtue and does not encourage the pursuit of virtue for the sole purpose of being virtuous (Mulieri 2). Therefore, he considers that a person should appear virtuous when it is beneficial for him or her but avoid it if it will lead to a decline in overall well-being. In other words, in Machiavelli’s view, virtue is a mere instrument with specific instances of usefulness but not something absolute.
In conclusion, Aristotle and Machiavelli had divergent perspectives on the concept of virtue, where the former believed that it is a balanced approach to life in both civic and moral aspects. However, the latter considered virtue as valuable in regards to its instrumental component and did not promote virtue as something more important than one’s well-being.
Work Cited
Mulieri, Alessandro. “Machiavelli, Aristotle and the Scholastics. The Origins of Human Society and The Status of Prudence.” Intellectual History Review, 2020, pp. 1-23.
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