All about Aristotle?

Have you ever wondered how someone becomes brave? Is it a magical gift you are just born with, or can absolutely anyone learn it? In this amazing episode of Philosophy is Not Boring, Mira and Finn dive into the brilliant mind of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle to uncover a massive secret: building your character is exactly like learning to play Minecraft or riding a bike! Aristotle believed that you don't become brave by just feeling brave. You become brave by doing brave things, even if you are totally terrified and mess up at first! Every time you tell the truth or wait your turn, you are working out your "character muscle." We also explore Aristotle's famous idea called the Golden Mean—the perfect sweet spot right in the middle of being a total coward and recklessly jumping off a roof with an umbrella! Plus, discover how Aristotle taught this very idea to a teenager who grew up to be Alexander the Great. Tune in to find out how you have the power to build exactly who you want to be!

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Philosophy is not boring by Kidopoly.com. I'm Mira. And I'm Finn. Hey Finn, think back to when you first learned how to play a video game, like Minecraft. How good were you on your very first day?

SPEAKER_01 0:15

Oh, I was terrible. I didn't know how to craft anything. I accidentally dug straight down into lava, and the zombies kept getting me. Exactly. But what about now? Now I can build massive castles and survive the night easily. I don't even have to look at the controller to know which buttons to press.

SPEAKER_00 0:35

Right, because you practised. You learned a skill by doing it over and over until your fingers just knew what to do. Now, here is today's huge question.

SPEAKER_01 0:47

I'm ready, hit me.

SPEAKER_00 0:49

What if being brave, or being honest, or being patient, is exactly the same thing?

SPEAKER_01 0:55

Wait, what? Being brave is a skill. Like playing Minecraft or riding a bike.

SPEAKER_00 1:02

Yes, today we're exploring an amazing idea. That you aren't just born with your personality, you are actually building your own character every single day, one action at a time.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

Okay, hold on. I always thought you were either a brave person or a scared person. Like, it's just who you are. A magical gift some people have.

SPEAKER_00 1:25

A lot of people think that. But about 2400 years ago, a Greek philosopher named Aristotle completely disagreed. Aristotle? Who was he? He was one of the most famous thinkers in ancient Greece. Aristotle loved to study how things worked. He studied plants, animals, the stars, and poetry.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

Wow, so literally everything?

SPEAKER_00 1:50

Pretty much. But he was especially fascinated by human beings. He wanted to figure out how do we live a good life? How do we become excellent people? And what did he decide? Did he write a huge list of rules? Not really. He realised something much more interesting. He noticed that nobody learns how to play the flute just by listening to someone talk about flutes.

SPEAKER_01 2:15

Obviously not. You have to pick up the flute and blow into it. And sound terrible at first.

SPEAKER_00 2:21

Exactly. You sound terrible at first, but you keep doing it. Aristotle said that human character works the exact same way. You don't become brave by someone telling you what bravery is.

SPEAKER_01 2:34

Wait, so you become brave by doing brave things?

SPEAKER_00 2:39

Yes. Aristotle wrote that we become just by doing just acts, and brave by doing brave acts. It's practice.

SPEAKER_01 2:47

Okay, but wait, that doesn't make sense to me. Why not? Because if I do a brave thing, doesn't that mean I already am brave? Like, if I'm terrified to give a speech in front of the whole class, my hands are sweating and my voice is shaking.

SPEAKER_00 3:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:06

Well, if I feel totally terrified, I'm not feeling brave at all. I'm feeling scared.

SPEAKER_00 3:12

Oh Finn, you just hit on the most amazing part of Aristotle's idea. Aristotle says you do not have to feel brave to be practicing bravery. In fact, doing it while you're scared and doing it badly at first is the practice.

SPEAKER_01 3:28

Wait, really? So standing up in front of the class with my knees knocking together is me practising bravery.

SPEAKER_00 3:36

Yes. Just like your first Minecraft house was just a boring dirt block, your first acts of bravery might be messy and filled with fear. But by doing it anyway, you are laying down a habit.

SPEAKER_01 3:48

Huh. So it's literally like working out a muscle at the gym. My bravery muscle.

SPEAKER_00 3:54

Exactly. If you choose to tell the truth when you break a window, even when you're terrified you'll get in trouble, you are doing a rep for your honesty muscle. Do it enough times, and eventually it's just what you do.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

Because the habit takes over. I don't have to force it anymore. The same way I don't have to force myself to balance on my bike now. You nailed it.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

You build your own character by the choices you make every single day.

SPEAKER_01 4:22

Okay, but here's where it gets weird. What if I want to practice being super brave? Like, what if I decide to jump off the roof with an umbrella?

SPEAKER_00 4:33

Please don't do that. And Aristotle would definitely tell you not to do that. But why? Isn't that the most brave thing ever? Aristotle had a brilliant idea for this, called the Golden Mean. Mean just means middle. He said that a virtue, a good character trait, is always the sweet spot right in the middle of two extremes.

SPEAKER_01 4:57

Extremes, like too much and too little. Exactly. Let's look at courage. If you have way too little courage, what is that called? Um cowardice? Being afraid of everything.

SPEAKER_00 5:12

Right, but if you have way too much courage and no fear at all, so you jump off a roof with an umbrella, Aristotle wouldn't call that brave. He'd call that recklessness.

SPEAKER_01 5:25

Oh, so real bravery is sitting perfectly in the middle. Between being totally cowardly and totally reckless.

SPEAKER_00 5:33

Yes, the golden mean. Let's try another one. What about generosity? Sharing what you have?

SPEAKER_01 5:40

Okay, well, too little sharing means you're stingy. You won't even give your friend a single French fry. Right. And what's the opposite extreme? Too much? Too much sharing? Wait, is there such a thing? Like giving away your entire lunch, your shoes, and your backpack until you have absolutely nothing left.

SPEAKER_00 6:03

Yes. Aristotle called that wastefulness. Generosity is the sweet spot in the middle. You share with others, but you also take care of yourself.

SPEAKER_01 6:14

This actually makes me feel a lot better. Sometimes I lose my temper and I worry that I'm just an angry person forever.

SPEAKER_00 6:20

But that's exactly why Aristotle's idea is so awesome for us right now. If virtue is just a habit, then nobody is stuck with the character they currently have.

SPEAKER_01 6:31

So if I have a bad habit of interrupting people, I'm not permanently an interrupter. I just need to practice the habit of waiting my turn. Just like practicing a video game.

SPEAKER_00 6:41

Exactly! You get to build yourself. And here's a crazy fact about Aristotle. He didn't just teach this to everyday people. He was actually hired as a private tutor for a teenage boy who went on to become one of the most powerful people in history. Wait, really? Who was it? Alexander the Great! Before he conquered half the known world, he was a teenager learning about the golden mean from Aristotle.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

I wonder if Alexander ever tried to jump off a roof with an umbrella.

SPEAKER_00 7:11

Well, considering some of his wild battles, he might have needed more practice finding that sweet spot. Also, fun fact, the word ethics comes from the ancient Greek word ethos. And guess what ethos literally translates to? Um good person? It translates to habit or character. For Aristotle, those two things were exactly the same. Alright, Finn, time for the quiz. Are you ready?

SPEAKER_01 7:39

Okay, I've been practicing my quiz-taking habit. Let's do it.

SPEAKER_00 7:44

First question. Which ancient Greek philosopher came up with the idea that character is built like a skill? Next one. What is the two-word name for the sweet spot right in the middle of two extremes? Question three. According to this idea, courage is the middle point between cowardice and what? Here's number four. What word meaning habit or character is the origin of the word ethics? Last question. Which famous conqueror did our philosopher tutor when he was a teenager? Great job! Let's see how you did. The first answer is Aristotle. For question two, it's called the golden meme. Number three, the answer is recklessness or jumping off ruse with umbrellas. Question four, the Greek word is ethos. And the final answer is Alexander the Great.

SPEAKER_01 8:59

You know, I really like this idea. It makes me feel like my brain and my personality are just big projects I get to build myself. It is pretty amazing.

SPEAKER_00 9:10

Whenever you feel scared doing something right, just remember that messy, scared feeling is the practice.

SPEAKER_01 9:17

Yeah, I'm gonna go practice my patience right now. By waiting for lunch.

SPEAKER_00 9:24

That's a good start. Hey everyone listening. If you loved learning about Aristotle and how to build your character, we would love a five-star review. Just scroll down on your podcast app and tap the stars.

SPEAKER_01 9:37

Oh, and don't forget to check out our site kidopoly.com. We have tons of amazing learning resources and cool stuff to explore there.

SPEAKER_00 9:45

Yes, head over to kidopoly.com to keep learning. And if you want to say hi, or if you want a shout out on a future episode, send us an email at hello at kidopoly.com. Practice those good habits out there. See you next time on Philosophy is not boring. Bye!