Response 3

Notes:

For this week, the prompt is

Academic courses usually focus on skills and knowledge that students should obtain through the work they do. How have your educational experiences contributed to the development of virtue, as Aristotle explains it? What other experiences or activities have contributed to your development of virtue?

One reasonable format for this response is to write a paragraph describing Aristotelian virtue – on this, Sachs's glossary is excellent – and some of the key distinctions Aristotle makes, and a paragraph (or two) considering it and your own life.

How have your educational experiences contributed to the development of virtue?

as Aristotle explains it? What other experiences or activities have contributed to your development of virtue?

Virtue and education
According to Aristotle, virtue is not born in us by nature, instead humans have the capacity to acquire it and nature just gives the power to receive it. In Nicomachean ethics he established that intellectual virtues arise and develop through teaching, time, and experience, which I would say fall neatly in the term education. Knowing this is how I can come to the conclusion that my academic experience has formed part of my developing intellectual virtue. All since I was first thought my first words, passing through elementary school, high school, and every other stage of education, all I have done is acquiring virtue through attending every class, delivering every homework, resolving every problem, reading, and writing.

But virtue is more than learning and becoming good at something, there is also character or moral virtue. It is acquired through habit, which I get as repeated practice and habituation in action. For example, if my objective is to become brave, it is by repeatedly doing brave actions that I would be able to develop this virtue, which by the way, must be done knowingly, and I must choose for its own sake. One activity that I feel has greatly contributed to my development of virtue is ...

According to Aristotle, virtue is not born in us by nature, instead, humans have the capacity to acquire it, while nature only gives us the power to receive it. In Nicomachean Ethics, he explains that intellectual virtues arise and develop through teaching, time, and experience, what I would call education. Knowing this, I see how my academic experiences have shaped my intellectual virtue. From learning my first words to completing assignments in college, every class attended, every problem solved, every essay written has been a step toward strengthening this side of virtue.

But virtue is more than knowledge or skill, it is also character. Moral virtue, as Aristotle notes, is formed by habit, by repeatedly practicing the right actions with intention, which by the way, must be done knowingly, and must be chosen by its own sake. For me, experiences like competition events, whether academic or sports, where I get to work under pressure with a team, shape habits of persistence, courage, and cooperation. These repeated actions have not only taught me skills, but have also cultivated the virtues that guide my character.

Learning Virtue

According to Aristotle, virtue is not born in us by nature; rather, humans have the capacity to acquire it, while nature only gives us the power to receive it. In Nicomachean Ethics, he explains that intellectual virtues arise and develop through teaching, time, and experience, what I would call education. Knowing this, I see how my academic experiences have shaped my intellectual virtue. From learning my first words to completing assignments in college, every class attended, every problem solved, every essay written has been a step toward strengthening this side of virtue.

But virtue is more than knowledge or skill, it is also character. Moral virtue, as Aristotle notes, is formed by habit, by repeatedly practicing the right actions with intention. These actions must be done knowingly and chosen for their own inherent value. For me, experiences like competitions, whether academic or athletic, where I work under pressure alongside a team, have shaped habits of persistence, courage, and cooperation. These repeated actions have not only taught me skills, but have also cultivated the virtues that guide my character.