Arguing Quote by Aristotle
“Some persons hold that, while it is proper for the lawgiver to encourage and exhort men to virtue on moral grounds, in the expectation that those who have had a virtuous moral upbringing will respond, yet he is bound to impose chastisement and penalties on the disobedient and ill-conditioned, and to banish the incorrigible out of the state altogether. For (they argue) although the virtuous man, who guides his life by moral ideals, will be obedient to reason, the base, whose desires are fixed on pleasure, must be chastised by pain, like a beast of burden.”
About This Quote
Source Treatise: Politics, Book III, 4th century BC
Aristotle argues that law must reward virtue and punish vice, using moral education for the good and punitive measures for the immoral.
In simple terms: Law rewards virtue, punishes vice.
Key Takeaway
Balance moral encouragement with firm penalties.
Themes
law
morality
justice
governance
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- education reform
- judicial policy
- public discipline
Key Concepts
virtue ethics
deterrence
social order
Questions to Reflect On
- How can societies foster genuine virtue beyond punishment?
- What role does moral education play in preventing vice?
A Different Perspective
Punishment alone may not change deep-seated desires.
