The Ethics of Aristotle - Penn State Hazleton

The Ethics of Aristotlegiving greatly preponderates as being either honourable ornecessary, we must be swayed by these considerations: I mean,in some cases the requital of the obligation previously existingmay not be equal; suppose, for instance, that the originalbenefactor has conferred a kindness on a good man, knowinghim to be such, whereas this said good man has to repayit believing him to be a scoundrel.And again, in certain cases no obligation lies on a man tolend to one who has lent to him; suppose, for instance, thata bad man lent to him, as being a good man, under the notionthat he should get repaid, whereas the said good manhas no hope of repayment from him being a bad man. Eitherthen the case is really as we have supposed it and thenthe claim is not equal, or it is not so but supposed to be; andstill in so acting people are not to be thought to act wrongly.In short, as has been oftentimes stated before, all statementsregarding feelings and actions can be definite only in proportionas their object-matter is so; it is of course quite obviousthat all people have not the same claim upon one, norare the claims of one’s father unlimited; just as Jupiter doesnot claim all kinds of sacrifice without distinction: and sincethe claims of parents, brothers, companions, and benefactors,are all different, we must give to each what belongs toand befits each.And this is seen to be the course commonly pursued: tomarriages men commonly invite their relatives, because theseare from a common stock and therefore all the actions in anyway pertaining thereto are common also: and to funerals menthink that relatives ought to assemble in preference to otherpeople, for the same reason.And it would seem that in respect of maintenance it is ourduty to assist our parents in preference to all others, as beingtheir debtors, and because it is more honourable to succourin these respects the authors of our existence than ourselves.Honour likewise we ought to pay to our parents just as tothe gods, but then, not all kinds of honour: not the same, forinstance, to a father as to a mother: nor again to a father thehonour due to a scientific man or to a general but that whichis a father’s due, and in like manner to a mother that whichis a mother’s.To all our elders also the honour befitting their age, byrising up in their presence, turning out of the way for them,202