The Ethics of Aristotle - Penn State Hazleton

The Ethics of AristotleAgain, it is a trait in the Liberal man’s character even toexceed very much in giving so as to leave too little for himself,it being characteristic of such an one not to have athought of self.Now Liberality is a term of relation to a man’s means, forthe Liberal-ness depends not on the amount of what is givenbut on the moral state of the giver which gives in proportionto his means. There is then no reason why he should not bethe more Liberal man who gives the less amount, if he hasless to give out of.Again, they are thought to be more Liberal who have inherited,not acquired for themselves, their means; because,in the first place, they have never experienced want, and next,all people love most their own works, just as parents do andpoets.It is not easy for the Liberal man to be rich, since he isneither apt to receive nor to keep but to lavish, and valuesnot wealth for its own sake but with a view to giving it away.Hence it is commonly charged upon fortune that they whomost deserve to be rich are least so. Yet this happens reasonablyenough; it is impossible he should have wealth who doesnot take any care to have it, just as in any similar case.Yet he will not give to improper people, nor at wrong times,and so on: because he would not then be acting in accordancewith Liberality, and if he spent upon such objects,would have nothing to spend on those on which he ought:for, as I have said before, he is Liberal who spends in proportionto his means, and on proper objects, while he who doesso in excess is prodigal (this is the reason why we never calldespots prodigal, because it does not seem to be easy forthem by their gifts and expenditure to go beyond their immensepossessions).To sum up then. Since Liberality is a mean state in respectof the giving and receiving of wealth, the Liberal man willgive and spend on proper objects, and in proper proportion,in great things and in small alike, and all this with pleasureto himself; also he will receive from right sources, and inright proportion: because, as the virtue is a mean state inrespect of both, he will do both as he ought, and, in fact,upon proper giving follows the correspondent receiving, whilethat which is not such is contrary to it. (Now those whichfollow one another come to co-exist in the same person, those85