Ethics 193
are good and bad and neither; courage is knowledge of which things are
to be chosen and avoided and neither; and .... [There is a lacuna here.]
- magnanimity is knowledge or a condition which makes one superior
to those things which happen alike to base and virtuous men; self-control
is an unsurpassable disposition [concerned with] what accords with right
reason, or a condition which cannot be defeated by pleasures; endurance
is knowledge of or a condition [concerned with] what one is to stand
firmly by and what is not and neither; quick-wittedness is a condition
which instantly finds out what the appropriate action is; and deliberative
excellence is a knowledge of how to consider the type and manner of
actions which we must perform in order to act advantageously.
Correspondingly, of vices too some are primary and some are subordi-
nate. For example, imprudence, cowardice, injustice and wantonness are
primary, and lack of self-control, slow-wittedness and poor deliberation
are subordinate. Those vices whose [counterpart] virtues are forms of
knowledge are forms of ignorance.
94. Good is in general that from which there is something beneficial;
in particular it is either the same as or not different from benefit. Hence,
virtue itself and the good, which participates in it, are spoken of in
these three ways: [1] the good is that from which being benefitted is a
characteristic result; [2] it is that according to which [being benefitted] is
a characteristic result, for example, action according to virtue; [3] it is
he by whom [being benefitted is a characteristic result]; and "by whom"
means, for example, the virtuous man who participates in virtue.
They give another particular definition of the good, as follows: "that
which is perfectly in accord with nature for a rational being, qua rational".
And virtue is such a thing, so that virtuous actions and virtuous men
participate [in it]; and its supervenient byproducts are joy and good
spirits and the like. 95. Similarly, of bad things some are imprudence,
cowardice, injustice and the like; and vicious actions and base men partici-
pate in vice; and its supervenient byproducts are low spirits and depression
and the like.
Again, some goods are in the soul, some are external, and some are
neither in the soul nor external. The ones in the soul are virtues and
virtuous actions; the external are: having a virtuous fatherland and a
virtuous friend and their happiness; those which are neither external nor
in the soul are: for someone, in and for himself, to be virtuous and to
be happy. 96. Conversely, some bad things are in the soul, i.e., vices and
vicious actions; the external ones are having an imprudent fatherland
and an imprudent friend and their unhappiness; those which are neither
external nor in the soul are for someone, in and for himself, to be base
and to be unhappy.
