Rules Lurking at the Heart of Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics

Abstract

AbstractAristotle speaks often of orthos logos which might be translated “right rule.” Nevertheless, many contemporary interpreters and translators avoid the term “rule” and similar terms. I shall show that Aristotle does indeed provide numerous rules including right rules for all of the virtues on his list in the Nicomachean Ethics. But these rules do not undermine Aristotle’s credentials as a founder of virtue ethics or of moderate particularism.