Virtues v.s. Habits

Aristotle believes that virtues are developed through repeated actions. He uses the example building makes you a builder. Just as Aristotle, I agree that practicing morally right things makes you virtuous just as practicing building makes you a builder. So if someone practices honesty as a virtue repeatedly then they would become virtuous and create a habit of honesty. Aristotle talks about moral actions making you moral. I think it makes sense to think of virtues as habits because when someone practices a morally correct or immoral action it creates a habit.

Going off of Laura’s question I don’t think it is in our control to become virtuous. Some people are born into unfortunate circumstances and don’t have a chance to become virtuous. They can’t create the good habits they need to be virtuous. I think becoming virtuous most of the time is completely left up to chance. I think being virtuous is completely left up to chance because the circumstances people are born in are either good or bad. If someone is born into an unfortunate life for example, one of their parents dies and the other becomes depressed and becomes a drug addict it would be very hard for that person to become virtuous because of the life they were born into. It would be very hard for them to create the good habits they need to become virtuous. Aristotle talks about a harpist becoming either good or bad no matter how much they practice. Just as how harpist become either good or bad, being virtuous happend over time in our lifetime.