Source edition
Aristotle. Aristotelis Opera, Volume 2. Bekker, Immanuel, editor. Berlin: Reimer, 1831.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a short philosophical and ethical treatise that systematically classifies and defines various "virtues" (arete) and "vices" (kakia) based on Plato's tripartite theory of the soul (the rational, spirited, and appetitive parts). In the first half, the text examines major virtues such as prudence, gentleness, courage, temperance, self-control, justice, liberality, and greatness of soul, detailing their definitions and the specific psychological states or behaviors associated with them. In contrast, the second half focuses on corresponding vices—including folly, irascibility, cowardice, licentiousness, incontinence, injustice, illiberality, and smallness of soul—describing their definitions and attendant negative traits in detail. Finally, the treatise concludes with a summary of the general characteristics of virtue as a whole and the good qualities it produces in human character. The work serves as a concise guide attempting to organize human morality and the structure of the soul through clear definitions.