Final answer:
According to Aristotle, acquiring the moral virtues is like acquiring a musical skill through practice, as both require habit and continuous action. Virtues are developed through action and are necessary for human flourishing or eudaimonia. This development of character aligns actions with reason, moving individuals closer to the virtuous mean state.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Aristotle's theory, acquiring the moral virtues can be compared to acquiring a musical skill through practice. This analogy reflects Aristotle’s view that moral virtues, like practical skills, are developed through habitual action. Just as a musician must practice to become skilled, individuals must engage in virtuous actions regularly to cultivate moral virtues. This is in contrast to intellectual virtues, which are developed through teaching and time. Aristotle emphasizes that we are adapted by nature to receive virtues, but they are made perfect by habit.
In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle explains that our actions form habits which in turn foster dispositions, leading us closer to the mean state of virtue. Through consistent practice and following the golden mean, which is the virtuous state between two extremes, individuals can cultivate virtues such as bravery, temperance, and justice.
Hence, virtuous development is tied to human flourishing, or eudaimonia, which is achieved by living a life in accordance with reason and cultivating virtues. Moreover, Aristotle points out that true virtue involves not just the repetition of good actions but doing them with deliberation and understanding why they are the right actions, thereby aligning one’s character with reason.