Social Sciences Essay: The Aristotle and Biblical Concepts of Moral Virtues.

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The Aristotle and Biblical Concepts of Moral Virtues.
Moral virtues are moral traits that distinguish between right and wrong. They are a fundamental part of society and serve as a guide towards our day to day interactions with one another. Different philosophers and theorists attempt to explain the concept in a manner that creates a better understanding of this term. Aristotle defines it as the mean between deficiency and excess. According to Aristotle, virtues are learned through habit and not through reasoning. Another perspective of the term is espoused in the Holy Bible, through the Gospel of Matthew. The text explains moral integrity as acting and behaving following the laws of Moses and Yahweh. A person should act and behave in a manner that respects these laws with clear and pure intentions. There is a considerable difference between the Aristotle concept and the Mathew concept of moral virtues and the different ethics found in both.
Aristotle proposes that to be considered an ethical person, one must comprehend what is right and pick it for his good. Furthermore, the course of action chosen by the person must be a consequence of a substantial nature. Aristotle argues that we must enjoy performing an act that we presume to be and good so that we can be delighted or be completely happy (23). He further argues that the majority of the behavior we acquire is through imitation of others and habits. However, this should not be the case, as what one might do to attain his satisfaction might not be morally virtuous; there should be an inner drive to pursue what is sincere, fair, and pure to indeed be virtuous.
Firstly, voluntary and involuntary actions are two contradicting terms. According to Aristotle, one should consider an act to be moral only if it was voluntary. An action performed in ignorance is deemed to be involuntary and, thus, not liable to criticize. The argument is that if you end up regretting the act if involuntary, then you would not have done it, but this is subjective (27). There is no justification for immoral or non-virtuous acts committed, whether it was done knowingly or unknowingly. For example, a man cannot be considered virtuous if he slips on one occasion and commits adultery, blaming alcohol.
Moral virtue is not an inborn characteristic that every human being attains immediately; they are brought into the world. Instead, it is a collection of virtuous acts cultivated into someone's upbringing and form a habit throughout the person's life. In society, actions are done for scrutiny by the public. As mentioned by Aristotle, people acquire moral virtues by habit and emulating other people who are placed at a place of 'honor' for their recommendable acts. There is a clear-cut difference between two extremes at any point in life: bravery and cowardice, happy and sad, and even good and evil (27). It is essential to understand the difference. According to Irwin, Aristotle proposes that to be virtuous involves acquiring the mean between excess and deficit. He further argues that there is no one definite way to approach every situation; the same moral rules do not apply to eve...