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Aristotle Bravery Essay
Course: Aristotle (M102)
4 Documents
Students shared 4 documents in this course
University: University of California Los Angeles
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It humors me when someone claims a person to be brave for eating the hottest pepper in
the world or chugging a bottle of vodka. To be completely honest, I think these types of people
are just outright crazy. Aristotle would say that these people are not exercising virtuous action to
be considered brave. Initially, fineness and rationality are the key foundations to construct
bravery optimally. When it comes to bravery, the emotions of fear and confidence prevail within
individuals. Aristotle describes how fear and confidence can lead to courageous and
uncourageous activity. Bravery must entail an outcome or final goal that leads to flourishing
(Eudaimonia). Every person will view their final goal of “flourishing” differently, but as long as
they act upon it freely then they are aiming for the right values. With that said, the brave
individual could potentially risk his/her own life for the objective of Eudaimonia.
According to Aristotle, a brave act is not considered a brave act without rationality and
fineness. Aristotle mentions throughout Nicomachean Ethics
that virtuous actions are brought
upon for the sake of themselves, and because they are fine. Similarly, subjects that exercise
fineness deliberately for the sake of itself are considered brave. Nothing is considered fine
without respect to a goal, and Aristotle believes that the ultimate goal is to live a flourishing life
(Eudaimonia). In order to achieve this final end, one must rationally acknowledge value and be
driven for these reasons (Primary Rationality). When one is rational about something, they are
rational about it because it makes sense to them. Their emotional dispositions, natural capacities,
intellectual characteristics, etc, all come together to form values of a certain extent. Additionally,
subjects are rational if they intuitively appreciate fineness from within the soul (Secondary
Rationality). Subjects that listen and act accordingly to their genuine self are exemplifying
fineness. They are representing honor for no other cause except for fineness itself. Primary and