Love and Virtue in Aristotle’s Ethics

Roopen Majithia

In the scholarship on Aristotle, much of the discussion on love has come in the context of friendship and especially self-love’s relation to friendship. Yet very little attention has been devoted to the role of love in virtue itself, which, as I hope to show, is more basic to Aristotle’s ethical enterprise. To this end, I will discuss the nature, kinds and objects of love for Aristotle, and how these are integral to the harmony that is the virtuous individual. Finally, if I am right about the importance of love in virtue for Aristotle, then many central aspects of his thought need to be reconsidered, as I will be briefly show.

Majihia-59

Keywords: Love · Virtue · Aristotle · Action Theory · Friendship