The Ethics of Aristotle - Penn State Hazleton

The Ethics of Aristotlerelative to the individual, and the matter wherein and uponwhich he has to spend. And a man is not denominated Magnificentfor spending as he should do in small or ordinarythings, as, for instance,“Oft to the wandering beggar did I give,”but for doing so in great matters: that is to say, the Magnificentman is liberal, but the liberal is not thereby Magnificent.The falling short of such a state is called Meanness, theexceeding it Vulgar Profusion, Want of Taste, and so on;which are faulty, not because they are on an excessive scale inrespect of right objects but, because they show off in improperobjects, and in improper manner: of these we willspeak presently. The Magnificent man is like a man of skill,because he can see what is fitting, and can spend largely ingood taste; for, as we said at the commencement, [Sidenote:1122b] the confirmed habit is determined by the separateacts of working, and by its object-matter.Well, the expenses of the Magnificent man are great andfitting: such also are his works (because this secures the expenditurebeing not great merely, but befitting the work). Sothen the work is to be proportionate to the expense, and thisagain to the work, or even above it: and the Magnificentman will incur such expenses from the motive of honour,this being common to all the virtues, and besides he will doit with pleasure and lavishly; excessive accuracy in calculationbeing Mean. He will consider also how a thing may bedone most beautifully and fittingly, rather, than for how muchit may be done, and how at the least expense.So the Magnificent man must be also a liberal man, becausethe liberal man will also spend what he ought, and inright manner: but it is the Great, that is to say tke large scale,which is distinctive of the Magnificent man, the object-matterof liberality being the same, and without spending moremoney than another man he will make the work more magnificent.I mean, the excellence of a possession and of a workis not the same: as a piece of property that thing is mostvaluable which is worth most, gold for instance; but as awork that which is great and beautiful, because the contemplationof such an object is admirable, and so is that which isMagnificent. So the excellence of a work is Magnificence on89