Aristotle's Virtures

Aristotle’s Virtues

“It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me” (Batman Begins). This famous quote was said by Bruce Wayne in the American Academy Award-winning movie, Batman Begins. Superhero movies were a staple of my childhood. As a child, Batman taught me valuable life lessons that would remain with me throughout adulthood. Superheroes, such as Batman, are role models of virtuous behavior. A virtuous person is one who strives to always do the right thing in any situation. Virtues are an important aspect of a society’s culture. In my opinion, Aristotle’s virtues of courage, justice, liberality and wisdom are the primary virtues of our society.

A person that embodies the virtue of courage is one who exhibits confidence in the face of fear. In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle states that, “the term courageous…will be applied to him who fearlessly faces an honorable death…” (53). For more than a decade, Harriet Tubman heroically faced danger on a daily basis. She led a top-secret operation, better known as the Underground Railroad, in order to help runaway slaves cross into the Northern part of the United States. Although conducting the Underground Railroad was an extremely dangerous job, Harriet persisted to liberate those whose freedom was inhibited. She continued to lead hundreds of slaves to independence even with the known risk of being captured or even killed. During this time period, most people knew that slavery was wrong, but the idea of taking action was terrifying to them. Courage can also be defined as the willingness to stand up for not only yourself, but for others as well. Harriet Tubman exemplified the virtue of courage, because she willingly put her life at risk in order to save others and do the right thing. I can only imagine how painful and challenging Harriet’s journey to freedom must have been. Once Harriet arrived in the North, she could have easily put slavery behind her and started her newfound life of freedom, but...