- Getting IT Right: The Golden Mean in Contemporary Society
- What is the Golden Mean Theory of Aristotle?
There are three kinds of disposition, two of them are vices of excess and deficiency, and the other is a virtue, which is the Mean. Extreme states are, in some sense, opposing intermediate and deficiency states. Conversely, the intermediate states, in terms of action and passion, oppose extreme states.
Among other virtues, wittiness lies at the halfway point between being a boor who takes offense at everything and fouls everybody’s mood and being a buffoon who cannot help taking everything lightly and ridiculing everyone and everything.
Similarly, a witty person stays grounded enough to know that jokes are just jokes and should not be taken too seriously while being humorous without going overboard.
This example shows the common sense in Aristotle’s theory of the Golden Mean.
In addition, Aristotle demonstrates that regarding the feeling of fear in a situation, the Mean is courage. If one faces the ethical dilemma of fear, the virtuous action is courage instead of acting cowardly or rashly. Similarly, the virtue of temperance is the Mean of pleasure and pain.
Golden Mean – Lending and borrowing of money
According to Aristotle, the Mean in lending and borrowing money is liberality, which lies between prodigality and meanness. In addition, for the feeling of shame, the excess relates to envy, the deficiency is spite, and the Mean is righteous indignation. However, these states are opposed to one another. Again, the greatest contrariety is that of the extremes to each other rather than the intermediate.
Golden Mean – Generosity
Another example of a Mean is generosity. While the excess is wastefulness, the deficiency is stinginess. As mentioned earlier, the Golden Mean does not necessarily lie at the center of the spectrum ranging from excessiveness to deficiency. Therefore, it can fall anywhere that is morally adequate between two vices.
Think of one cheated out of life savings. He is likely to be angry, and it would be very close to being excessive, which is at the extreme. On the contrary, a minor accidental mishap might not get one’s tempers rising, and the lack of anger would inch towards indifference, which is at another extreme.
In both cases, reactions are better considered a Mean due to the varying level of involvement. In these actions, people exceed and fall short in contrary ways; the prodigal exceeds in spending and falls short in taking, while the Mean man exceeds in taking and falls short in spending.
Different States of Golden Mean
On another note, Aristotle acknowledged that the different states could scarcely be said to have names. However, the term for each state can come from passion or action. For example, since we refer to the intermediate person as good-tempered, let us call the Mean good temper.
Similarly, the person who exceeds should be termed irascible, and the vice should be irascibility. Again, we refer to the man who falls short as a spiritless person, and the deficiency would be a lack of spirit.
Regarding truth, the intermediate is a truthful sort of person, and the Mean would be truthfulness. Conversely, the pretense, which exaggerates, is boastfulness, and the person characterized by it is a boaster.
However, it seems to me that the Golden Mean theory does not suggest that a virtuous disposition is always one that gives rise to a middling action. For example, if someone puts their life on the line, when unarmed, in an attempt to stop a would-be terrorist attack, then their action may be rash rather than courageous.
However, if armed with a heavy, blunt instrument, their life-risking action may be courageously virtuous rather than reckless. Therefore, the Golden Mean does not suggest that we always act somewhere between complete inaction and breathless exuberance, but it implies that we target between the vices of excess and deficiency; such action may well involve extreme courage or exceptional patience.
Aristotle noted that Virtue is not a feeling but an appropriate psychological disposition in response to that feeling; the proper response. The table below further outlines the examples of Aristotle’s Golden Mean, indicating some feelings, their middle points, the vice of deficiency, and the vice of excess.
| Feeling/Emotion | Deficiency (vice) | Mean (Virtue) | Excess (Vice) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fear | Cowardice | Courage | Rashness |
| Shame | Shyness | Modesty | Shamefulness |
| Indignation | Spitefulness | Righteous indignation | Envy |
| Anger | Lack of spirit | Patience | Irascibility |
| Pleasure & Pains | Insensibility | Temperance | Self-indulgence |
The table above lists some feelings or emotions we face in society and indicate the two vices of deficiency and excess and the virtue of the Mean. By implication, acting by the principle of the Golden Mean (Virtue) is the most virtuous decision in every ethical issue.
While the above are examples of how we can practice the tenets of the Golden Mean, it all champions living and acting with moderation to attain happiness or the end, which Aristotle refers to as the telos.
The second table below shows some situations and Aristotle’s suggestion of the Mean, excess, and deficiency states in responding to ethical predicaments.
| Actions | Deficiency (Vice) | Mean (Virtue) | Excess (Vice) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social conduct | Cantankerrousness | Friendliness | Self-serving flattery |
| Giving items | Stinginess | Generosity | Profligacy |
| Conversation | Boorishness | Wittiness | Buffoonery |
| Self-expression | Understatement | Truthfulness | Boastfulness |
From the two tables of examples above, Aristotle describes how to discover the Mean regarding actions, passion, and situations of ethical difficulties in reaching a happy end. The next article will illustrate the contemporary ethical issues in society, business, media, and leadership and explain the relevance and application of Aristotle’s Golden Mean theory.
