Good Citizen vs. Good Man :: essays research papers

Good Citizen vs. Good Man The strong art object and the proper citizen are not cardinal and the same. What apprise be said about one cannot be necessarily said about the other. It is essential for the not bad(predicate) earthly concern to be a correct citizen. It is not, though, vital for the exhaustively citizen to be a good hu humanityity. This distinction is important to make, because it helps one understand that the qualities a good man possesses far supersede those of a good citizen. A good citizen does what is best for the community, his city. As long as he is no malign to his surroundings, and cares for the improvement and betterment of his city, he is a good citizen. Who a mortal is doesnt bullyly affect what kind of citizen he will be. What if a man is a secret murderer? If we were to say that he only kills good deal outside of his city, would he be affecting the city in whatsoever way? If he was a great politician and lived this secret living as well would he still be a great citizen? The answer is yes. This is because the good citizen doesnt have to care about others. He can allow his desires to overpower his calculating. He doesnt have to have a well-ordered soul. In other words, he doesnt have to be a good man. Aristotle chooses to search for the difference between the good man and the good citizen by examining and analyzing their virtues. He concludes that, "Hence, the virtue of a citizen must be suited to his constitution. Consequently, if thus there are several kinds of constitution, it is clear that there cannot be a single virtue that is the virtue-of a good citizen. But the good man, we say, does dribble a single virtue the complete one. Evidently, then, it is possible for someone to be a good citizen without having acquired the virtue expressed by a good man" (1276b). What Aristotle doesnt tell us is who is better off. Is it sufficient to be the good citizen or is it definitely more satisfying to be the good man? The good man is recognizably superior to the good citizen. The good man possesses everything that is good. He does what is just and what is just is beneficial to himself and to those around him. His soul is entirely well-ordered and, therefore, cannot allow for his desires to take over and commit evil or injustice of any kind.