Final answer:
Arguments alone are not enough to make people good; habituation and teaching are essential for developing virtue. Aristotle emphasizes that practicing good actions leads to a virtuous character. Teaching and upbringing support this process by guiding and reinforcing the practice until it becomes inherent.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks whether arguments alone can make people good, and examines the roles of habituation and teaching in ethical development, particularly as discussed in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, Book X. Aristotle's philosophy details that moral virtues come not merely from intellectual understanding but from a process of habituation. This means engaging in good actions repeatedly until they form a character disposed towards virtue.
Habituation is central in cultivating virtues, as suggested by the phrase 'we are made perfect by habit'. It is the repetition of virtuous acts that develops a virtuous character. Teaching and upbringing play critical supporting roles by guiding the practice of virtues until they become second nature. Without habituation and the right teaching, arguments alone are insufficient for becoming truly good.
In Book X of the Nicomachean Ethics, the role of pleasure in the ethical life is also discussed. Aristotle suggests that virtuous activities are naturally pleasurable, and thus, the pleasure felt in doing virtuous acts reinforces the habituation process. This highlights an important aspect of Aristotle's ethics: that the pursuit of eudaimonia (flourishing or happiness) is aligned with virtuous action.