Aristotle believes that excellence of character is formed through training and repetition, and that the process of teaching it is similar to acquiring a skill. His view that excellence of character is internalized through repetition of the right behaviors, and that environment and example play an important role, has implications for modern education.
How is excellence acquired and can it be taught? To this question, Aristotle answers that while excellence in intellect can be taught, excellence in character is irrational and cannot be taught, but can be acquired through training. He sees human nature as consisting of two parts: reason and emotion. The rational part can be developed through education, but the emotional part, or character, he argued, can only be formed through repeated training and experience.
He likens acquiring good character to mastering a skill. According to him, one learns to play the lyra by playing the lyra, and one learns to ride a horse by riding a horse. When we want to acquire a skill, we first do what the teacher tells us to do, and with repeated practice, the behavior becomes easier and easier to do, until it becomes second nature. In the same way, a child must be taught how to behave in certain situations in order to be truthful, generous, and polite. With practice and repetition, these behaviors become easier and easier to do, and eventually, they can be judged on their own.
Repetition is not the only thing that matters in the formation of character. Aristotle also emphasized the influence of the environment. He believed that the environment a child is exposed to while growing up plays an important role in shaping their character. An environment that provides good examples and lessons can contribute greatly to the formation of a child’s character. For example, when parents or teachers model the right behavior for a child, it is more than just a lesson; it is deeply imprinted in the child’s subconscious mind and becomes part of his character.
He points out that proper training should be a pleasure in itself, not a compulsion, and that a person so trained will enjoy doing things right, will want to do things right, and will not find it difficult to do the right thing. Thus, excellence of character relates not only to what people “do,” but also to what people “want to do.” And it is not enough to have done a generous act once or twice; one must always do generous acts and be emotionally drawn to them in order to be said to have excellence of character with respect to generosity.
Furthermore, Aristotle argues that excellence of character is more than just conformity to social norms or moral standards; it is an essential ingredient for human beings to lead happy lives. He believes that a person with the right character is truly happy because he or she feels a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment that comes from his or her actions, a joy that is internal and independent of external praise or reward.
Consider Aristotle’s view with the following example. A man is upright in character and full of self-confidence. If he attends a gathering where he believes that the majority of people are acting in a way that is not right, he will have no difficulty in voicing his criticism of the majority’s behavior. On the other hand, suppose that a shy and indecisive sickly man is also present at a gathering, and he, too, decides that the majority’s behavior is wrong. In this case, he could stand up and say that the majority’s behavior is wrong, but it would take a lot of willpower and a lot of fighting with himself to do so. If he did so, we would praise him for his courage. But in Aristotle’s view, a person with excellence of character is a sophist, because he does what is right without internal conflict.
If we were asked not what kind of person we admire, but what kind of person we would like to raise our children to be, we would be closer to Aristotle’s view, because we would want to raise our children to be like Jabberwocky, and we would want to help them to live a happy and fulfilling life inwardly, not just outwardly, which is consistent with Aristotle’s philosophy of education.
