Final answer:
A true statement is that Aristotle saw habit as the first step in moral education, where habitual right actions form moral virtues integral to human flourishing and the development of character. He distinguished between moral virtues, acquired through habit, and intellectual virtues, which develop through teaching.
Step-by-step explanation:
Aristotle on Moral Education and Habit
Aristotle argued that habit is the first step in moral education. This assertion is true. According to Aristotle, humans are shaped by their habits, which play a significant role in their virtuous development. Through habituation, individuals practice doing what is right, thereby becoming better at choosing the right action in various situations. Moral virtues, Aristotle stated, are acquired through habituate actions, contrasting with intellectual virtues that develop mainly through teaching.
In his work, particularly in Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle explains that virtues arise in us not by nature but as a result of our actions and the habits we form from them. Building positive dispositions through habitual right actions leads to moral virtue, hence shaping one's character in concordance with reason and good practice. This development of virtues contributes to overall human flourishing or eudaimonia, which is realized through the perfection of reason and excellent character demonstration.
Aristotle also understood the importance of upbringing and the role of the government in regulating the growth of virtues within its citizens. This has inspired contemporary approaches to character education to instill appropriate virtues through habit formation.