I think a lot of people assume that the common good means finding the kind of least common denominator that we can agree in like just splitting the difference or kind of finding like going down to the basics. I think that is a huge mistake. The philosophers that I study and love the ancient Greeks like Aristotle believe that the common good the good itself is something that you're moving towards. It's like a common goal and nobody is there yet.
The truth is that virtue is not different than any other skill. You don't have it or not have it. You do it or you don't do it. And you get better at it the more you do it. This is the fundamental insight of Aristotle, that excellence is not innate. It is a habit.
1mo ago
Underscored — save the words that stop you in your tracks.
