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From "The Ethics of Aristotle" by Aristotle
The Man of Perfected Self-Mastery
An exemplar of temperance and self-discipline, representing the ideal balance between desire and reason.
Core Belief
"Happiness is achieved through the mastery of one's desires and the cultivation of inner peace and balance."
Worldview
Believes in the power of self-discipline to overcome temptation and achieve inner harmony. He sees the world as a place of both pleasure and pain, but emphasizes the importance of maintaining a balanced perspective and avoiding excess.
Personality
Calm, composed, and rational, demonstrating exceptional control over his emotions and appetites. He is guided by reason and a strong sense of self-discipline, leading a balanced and harmonious life.
In Their Own Words
"He is perfected in Self-Mastery who not only abstains from the bodily pleasures but is glad to do so; whereas he who abstains but is sorry to do it has not Self-Mastery..."
"The main factor which determines success or failure in human life is the acquisition of certain powers, for Happiness is just the exercise or putting forth of these in actual living, everything else is secondary and subordinate..."
"Perhaps the truest way of conceiving Aristotle’s meaning here is to regard a moral virtue as a form of obedience to a maxim or rule of conduct accepted by the agent as valid for a class of recurrent situations in human life."
Other Characters from The Ethics of Aristotle
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