Preserve the Mean

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Is the following true? A good or strong man may have many faults, weaknesses, or flaws, often due to the misuse or misplacement of his strengths. An idea that Aristotle addressed thousands of years ago. More pointedly, in his essays in Ethics, to correlate terms with weakness, he uses defects of character or absence of virtue in which men possess many (Adler, 1952a, p. 352), but Aristotelian thought speaks of behaving in the middle ground.

We can understand in layperson's terms, for example, from basic arithmetic, the definition of mean, or better yet, the mean is the mathematical average (Polit, 2010). Now, to behave and live in such a way that aligns with Aristotelian concepts, is to find the average. For example, the mean of fear and confidence is courage. If we are to be in excess fear, we are on the high end of cowardice, and if we are on the excess of fearlessness, we are on the verge of recklessness; therefore, the mean is courage (Adler, 1952a, pp. 352-353).

Let us look at other correlates from the great thinker. The mean of bashfulness and shamelessness is modesty, the middle of the road or average of flattery and blame is being of praiseworthiness, and the average of pleasure and pain is temperance. In contrast, in terms of philanthropy, the mean of greed and generosity is benevolence. Aristotle even addresses the concepts of hunger and starvation, and exercise in excess and too little, all of which affect and promote health or illness in the body. An idea that most in the practice of medicine would agree with. Not too much food intake and not too little, and not too much exercise or not too little.

In a day and age where influence and distraction aim at our attention, are the maxims and sayings from the wisdom of the ancients relevant today? Perhaps, we should consider and meditate on such things, if not then we will need to address the question that Machievelli submitted, borrowing from the editors of the great philosophers tells us in the synopticon, under the heading of Honor, Adler (1952b, p. 734), referring to the ideas of Machiavelli who would sound the bell and search for who is the man that will be great among us: will he strive to be a pioneer or settle for being a puppet? Better yet, and higher than philosophical insight, the Christian man is advised in the sayings of Solomon not to be too wise or righteous, nor too wicked and foolish (The Holy Bible, New International Version, 1999, Ecclesiastes 7:16-18). If we circle back to Aristotelian thoughts once more and look at a concept he proposed during his time, should we heed the insight of: preserving the mean (Adler, 1952a, p. 349).

References:

Adler, M. J. (1952a). Aristotle: II. In The Great Books of the Western World. (Vol. 9). Encyclopedia Britannica.

Adler, M. J. (1952b). The Great Ideas: I. In The Great Books of the Western World. (Vol. 2) Encyclopedia Britannica.

The Holy Bible. New International Version, Cornerstone Bible Publishers, 1999.

Polit, D. F. (2010). Statistics and data analysis for nursing research (2nd ed.). Pearson.