"The Five Intellectual Virtues There are five main ways our mind finds truth: 1. Art (Techne) – Knowing how to make things. 2. Scientific Knowledge (Episteme) – Knowing facts that always stay the same. 3. Practical Wisdom (Phronesis) – Knowing how to make good choices. 4. Philosophic Wisdom (Sophia) – The deepest kind of wisdom. 5. Intuitive Reason (Nous) – The skill to grasp simple truths right away. We don’t include opinions because they can be wrong. Real intellectual virtues must lead to the truth." -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 94
"Justice is meant for people who live together and must share what is good. It is the virtue that keeps society fair and balanced." -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 80
"Justice in a society is called political justice. It only exists among free and equal people who live under laws. Laws are necessary because they: • Create clear rules for fairness. • Prevent rulers from abusing power." -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 84
"Distributive Justice: Fair Sharing Based on Merit Justice is about fairness, but what does that really mean? Many people believe justice means equality, but that’s not always the case. Justice is about fair balance, not just equality. It ensures that people receive what they truly deserve, based on their contributions. If two people differ in merit, treating them the same may actually be unfair. Problems arise when: • Equals are treated unequally. • Unequals are treated the same. This is where distributive justice comes in. It ensures that rewards are given fairly based on what people contribute. In justice, fairness is about balance. People get rewards based on what they’ve contributed. This is called geometrical proportion. It means the ratio of people matches the ratio of what they receive." -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 80
“Why Greed is Worse Greed is far harder to correct than wastefulness. Unlike wastefulness, which often fades with age or hardship, greed tends to grow stronger over time. As people age, they often cling to their wealth. This makes it harder for them to be generous. Furthermore, greed is far more common than wastefulness, making it a more widespread vice. There are two types of greedy people: 1 Stingy hoarders – They don’t try to take from others but refuse to share what they have. They fear losing money, so they hoard it. 2 Money-grabbers – They take whatever they can, even from bad sources. This includes gamblers, con artists, and those who inflate prices. They care more about money than their reputation.” -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 64-65
“Virtue works the same way. Just doing a kind or fair action once doesn’t make you a kind or fair person. To truly have virtue, three things must happen: 1 You must understand what you are doing. 2 You must choose to do it because it is the right thing to do. 3 You must do it regularly so that it becomes part of who you are.” -The Nichomachean Ethics-For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg.39
“The Key to Being Good • Virtue is about pleasure and pain—we need to train ourselves to enjoy good actions and avoid bad ones. • Virtue is developed by practice—what we do repeatedly determines our character. • Virtue is about balance—too much or too little of anything can lead to bad character. Happiness comes from living a good life. To be virtuous, you need effort, discipline, and good habits.” -The Nichomachean Ethics-For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 38
“People often do bad things because they enjoy them and avoid doing good things because they seem difficult. This is why training from a young age is important—we need to learn to enjoy good actions and avoid harmful ones. Punishments also work this way. We correct people by making them feel pain when they do something wrong. Pain and pleasure influence our behavior.” -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 38
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“Virtue isn’t about doing too much or too little—it’s about finding the right balance. Virtue, then, is about finding the middle ground between two extremes.” -The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 36-37