The Golden Mean: Aristotle's Answer to Our Ethical Dilemma

“Moderation in all things” is a mantra that society collectively preaches, urging individuals to find a median in every aspect of their desires and pursuits. But what kind of philosophy lies behind this saying? Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics offers an in-depth framework for distinguishing virtue and vice, and acting in accordance to reason and moderation rather than pleasure and excess. Through his concept of the “Golden Mean”, Aristotle provides a way to  achieve this balance in one’s life, guiding them towards ethical excellence.

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While Plato often associated virtue with possessing a kind of knowledge, Aristotle understands virtue, or “aretê” (ἀρετή), as something primarily concerned with choice. Virtues such as courage, temperance, and charity all align with the use of an individual’s psychological disposition that is based on reason — a rational reaction to a feeling, rather than a feeling itself. Virtuous actions must correspond to reason, and are acquired through practice and habituation. We are not born with the ability to form accurate judgments and utilize rational thought, so the only path to virtue lies in experience. Reflecting on your actions and adjusting past behaviors to align with your virtuous standards is crucial in order to practice reason in your everyday life.

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In contrast with this, vice is the absence of reason — a lack of restraint or reshaping of one’s values that is fueled by self-centered motives. This leads us away from the Golden Mean and into the ends of the spectrum, where excess and deficiency lie. Examples include cowardice (deficiency of strength) or greed (excess of desire). Vices such as these disrupt the harmony within the soul, destroying the equilibrium and drawing the individual away from their faculties of intellect and reason. While this may sound bleak, Aristotle is careful to emphasize that vice arises only from a lack of proper agency, not necessarily from an inherent moral failing. It is ignorance in one’s decision, and its consequences, that opens the path down to vice, not the individual’s inherent moral compass.

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This leads us into the importance of ethical decision-making, which cannot occur without reason. Reason plays a crucial role, as it is the key to identifying the Golden Mean — a balance between excess and deficiency. To provide an image of what this balance may look like, we can use fear and confidence as examples. Experiencing hesitancy, doubt, or a lack of faith in others or one’s own abilities places an individual on the end of the spectrum where deficiency lies. On the other hand, a state of rashness and overconfidence in one’s abilities or in others, to the point of illogical trust, brings one to the opposite side where excess dwells. In this case, virtue would be attained through a balance of fear and confidence, in which you integrate and acknowledge both emotions, bringing a relatively equal amount of both into your sphere of consciousness.

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In his sixth book in Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle distinguishes between practical wisdom (phronesis) from intellectual wisdom (sophia). Phronesis is the intellectual virtue that grants individuals the ability to apply reason in an ethical manner. This form of decision-making operates within the sphere of human affairs that involves variables, uncertainty, and change. Here, the virtue of prudence becomes crucial, as it involves utilizing common sense, deliberating between various options, and overall making sound judgments. It is extremely important to note here that Aristotle is not requiring us to discover a perfect mid-point in between excess and deficiency; the "mean" is relative to the individual and situation, and requires context-specific judgment. Several steps you can take to practice phronesis in your everyday life is to reflect on your personal values and goals, deliberate upon the outcomes of any decision you make, and most importantly, learn from your past mistakes. It is through phronesis that a person can balance competing considerations, act appropriately, and cultivate habits of virtue.

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Aristotle’s conception of the Golden mean influenced many future forms of philosophy and religious foundations. The Hellenistic thinkers, such as Stoics and Epicureans, shared Aristotle’s beliefs on achieving harmony and avoiding the extremes of passion. Medieval theologians such as Thomas Aquinas adopted the Golden Mean in relating a balance of excess and deficiency to divine law and human nature. Even Enlightenment philosophers, such as David Hume, integrated Aristotle’s emphasis on rational thought and logic in producing sound moral judgements.

By striving for the Golden Mean, individuals can cultivate a virtuous life that harmonizes reason, action, and the pursuit of happiness. In doing so, we achieve eudaimonia (εὐδαιμονία) — the state of a happy soul that lives its life according to reason.

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