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In NE 1.7 1098a15, Aristotle claims that "human good turns out to be activity of soul exhibiting virtue, and if there are more than one virtue, in accordance with the best and most complete."

What can't a soul act in accordance with multiple virtues? Is the best and most complete virtue practical wisdom (which is defined in 6.4 chapter 5)?

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    The phrase "best and most complete" can cover multiple descriptienda, for we might say "best and most complete ones" and not just "the best and most complete one." Commented Nov 25, 2023 at 22:02
  • are you disagreeing with jo @KristianBerry ? sorry for my slowness
    – user67675
    Commented Nov 26, 2023 at 1:14
  • @prof_ghost IDK, I don't know how grammatical singularization works in ancient Greek modulo the definite article. I would think, offhand, that "the best and most complete ones" is an admissible translation, since it retains "the" and "ones," but there is the ambivalence of that odd plural word "ones" in play, then, among other things... Commented Nov 26, 2023 at 1:19
  • ha yeah i get that @KristianBerry
    – user67675
    Commented Nov 26, 2023 at 1:24
  • I don't read that as saying that the soul can't act in accordance with more than one virtue, instead I read it as saying that human good in particular is activity of the soul in accordance with the best of them all.
    – user50018
    Commented Nov 29, 2023 at 19:14

3 Answers 3

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He doesn't define "best and most complete" in absolute terms, nor in strictly practical ones.

The main point is that there are different ways to approach virtue and our best advise would be to examine things based on the nature (context) of the problem.

Greek source

What makes me understand what he means is in the 1098b from the Greek translation, but honestly when I read the English one, it seems to me very poor, nearly meaningless.

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  • What's your understanding of "best virtue" based on the nature of the problem? What makes some virtues better than others under a certain circumstance?
    – Wwwy
    Commented Nov 26, 2023 at 19:39
  • @Wwwy, I cannot conclude from 1098, other analysis from Greek experts I read, make references to other parts of Aristotle to define "best virtue". Commented Nov 26, 2023 at 20:07
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In NE 1.7 1098a17-18, the passage "if there are more than one virtue, in accordance with the best and most complete" is the Greek singular meaning "the best and most complete virtue".

εἰ δὲ πλείους αἱ ἀρεταί, κατὰ τὴν ἀρίστην καὶ τελειοτάτην

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I don't read that as saying that the soul can't act in accordance with more than one virtue, instead I read it as saying that human good in particular is activity of the soul in accordance with the best of them all.

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  • moved to a comment please delete
    – user50018
    Commented Nov 29, 2023 at 19:15

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