The Riddle of the Great-souled eiron. Virtue, Deception and Democracy in the Nicomachean Ethics

Elenchos: Rivista di Studi Sul Pensiero Antico 44 (2):201-218 (2023)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Aristotle’s use of the term ‘eironeia’ in the Nicomachean Ethics (NE) appears to be inconsistent: first, he attributes the attitude termed ‘eironeia’ to the great-souled man (megalopsychos), who is defined by his virtuousness, then he classifies ‘eironeia’ as one of the two vices which are central to his account of the virtue of truthfulness. Modern attempts to explain and to solve the “riddle of the great-souled eiron” have not been satisfying. This paper argues that the riddle results from Aristotle trying to reconcile aristocratic values with democratic reality. In the process, some insight will be gained on the concept of the megalopsychos in general, on Aristotle’s notion of the virtue of truthfulness and on his depiction of Socrates. Finally, it is argued that Aristotle’s use of the notion of ‘eironeia’ in the NE bears some resemblance to the use of the notion of ‘irony’ in modern political theory.

Other Versions

No versions found

Links

PhilArchive

    This entry is not archived by us. If you are the author and have permission from the publisher, we recommend that you archive it. Many publishers automatically grant permission to authors to archive pre-prints. By uploading a copy of your work, you will enable us to better index it, making it easier to find.

    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 104,804

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Analytics

Added to PP
2023-11-22

Downloads
35 (#716,656)

6 months
19 (#160,720)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity.Richard Rorty - 1989 - The Personalist Forum 5 (2):149-152.
Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics.Christopher Rowe & Sarah Broadie - 2004 - Philosophical Quarterly 54 (215):309-314.
Aristotle: The Nicomachean Ethics.David Ross - 1956 - Philosophy 31 (116):77-77.
A Rhetoric of Irony.Wayne C. Booth - 1975 - Philosophy and Rhetoric 8 (2):123-129.
Aristotelian Virtue and Its Limitations.Christipher Cordner - 1994 - Philosophy 69 (269):291 - 316.

View all 17 references / Add more references