Aristotle's Thoughts on Choice

Aristole's Choice

In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle discuss in depth, the idea of choice. Aristotle starts by discussing how choice is usually thought of as a voluntary act, but says that “Children and the lower animals including men are capable of voluntary action, but not of choice. Also sudden acts may be termed voluntary, but they cannot be said to be done by choice” (129). Aristotle is trying to distinguish the difference between what a voluntary act is and what a choice is. He then goes into explaining why some people would “identify Choice with Desire, or Passion, or Wish or some form of Opinion” (129) 

How do desires effect our everyday choices? Aristotle argues that “man of defective self-restraint acts from desire but not from choice; and on the contrary a self-restrained man acts from choice and not desire.” (129) What he means by this is that people who react quickly to situations with out thinking, don’t do this by choice. Its an irrational reaction to something we find “pleasant or painful” (131) based on desire. Whereas a person who would rationalize before acting, does there act by choice, and not desire. Aristotle’s thoughts on choices effect by passion are simple. Basically, how can something from be a deliberate choice if it is driven by passion. I have to agree with this. Like desire, humans tend to think irrationally when they are very passionate about something. Many horrific crimes are considered to be “crimes of passion”. 

Its hard to say that a wish can effect your choices or that a wish is a choice. You can choose to do something impossible to you can wish to do something impossible. Aristotle makes a great argument when he says “we wish rather for ends than for means, but choose the means to our end”(131). Our wishes for what we want later on in life effect the choices we make today. Wishing to get into doctorate school you’ll probably choose to study for the exams. 

Aristotle then goes on to mention that choice can not be an opinion either. I agree with Aristotle that choices are thought of as being “good” or “bad”, but disagree when he says that “we distinguish opinion by its truth or falsehood”. How can you call someones opinion either “true” or “false”. Its all based on their own opinion. But then you have to think of how this opinion was developed.  Aristotle makes a good point though by saying “we choose only things we absolutely know to be good, we opine things we do not certainly know to be true”. (131) 

After reading this article I was thinking of act that I did the other day. While sitting at a red light I decided to take a right turn at a light that had a “No Turn on Red” sign above it. Why did I make this choice. In my opinion running lights like this is bad. On the other hand I wish I could make it to class on time and I have a desire to be there. Based on Aristotle’s theory of choice I believe this was a voluntary act and not a choice. “Choice involves reasoning and some process of thought” (133). In this instance I wasn’t thinking rationally of the consequences that could come from this action. Overall I can agree with Aristotle’s theory that choices are not always as thought out as planned. There are many different variables that can taint the choices we make. 

-Sam