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PHL162 Assignment 10

1. As your shorter reading says, for Aristotle the “good human being was virtuous in the sense that s/he embodied all the excellences of human character” (Driver, 146). Here is a partial list of virtues: benevolence, civility, compassion, conscientiousness, cooperativeness, courage, dependability, diligence, fairness, friendliness, generosity, honesty, justice, loyalty, moderation, patience, prudence, reasonableness, resourcefulness, self-discipline, self-reliance, tactfulness, thoughtfulness, tolerance… What do you think of this list? What would add to it? What would you remove (if anything)? Do those all seem to be the mean between two extremes? Pick four of these and determine the vices that would lie at their extreme.

2. Self-deceivers are sometimes virtuous. How, in Johnson’s opinion, does this aid in self-deception? Give a concrete example of this, either from the reading or from real life (or both).

3. What part of does self-deception play in our choice of friends? Why does Johnson think we should consult our enemies if we want to learn about ourselves? Do you think he’s right? Explain and relate this to a real life example.