Which concept describes virtue as the mean between extremes, such as courage between cowardice and recklessness?

Which concept describes virtue as the mean between extremes, such as courage between cowardice and recklessness?

• A. Corrective Justice
• B. Categorical Imperative
• C. Aristotle's Golden Mean
• D. Justice

Answer: (C)

Finding the virtuous balance between extremes is a hallmark of virtue ethics. Aristotle argued that moral virtues are the mean between deficiency and excess, determined by reason and practical wisdom. Courage is a classic example: it sits between cowardice (too little) and recklessness (too much). This idea of virtue as a balanced mean describes Aristotle's Golden Mean. The other concepts come from different approaches: corrective justice focuses on restoring fairness after wrongdoing, the categorical imperative is Kant’s rule about universalizing maxims in deontological ethics, and justice is a broad notion of fairness in law and society. None of these capture the specific idea of virtue as the mean between extremes, which is why Aristotle's Golden Mean is the best fit.

Finding the virtuous balance between extremes is a hallmark of virtue ethics. Aristotle argued that moral virtues are the mean between deficiency and excess, determined by reason and practical wisdom. Courage is a classic example: it sits between cowardice (too little) and recklessness (too much). This idea of virtue as a balanced mean describes Aristotle's Golden Mean.

The other concepts come from different approaches: corrective justice focuses on restoring fairness after wrongdoing, the categorical imperative is Kant’s rule about universalizing maxims in deontological ethics, and justice is a broad notion of fairness in law and society. None of these capture the specific idea of virtue as the mean between extremes, which is why Aristotle's Golden Mean is the best fit.