On virtue

[Theophorus]

Virtue stands in the middle (between excess and defect). This is the King's highway of which one of the elders used to say, 'Walk by the King's highway and count up the miles.' The virtues, therefore, as we say, are in the middle between too much and too little. Therefore it is written, "Do not deviate to the right or to the left but walk the King's highway.' And as St. Basil says, 'A man is upright at heart when his estimation of things is not biased towards excess or defect, but goes straight to the middle path of virtue.' ...

...Therefore we say that virtue stands in the middle: and so courage stands between cowardice and follhardiness, humility in the middle between arrogance and obsequiousness. Modesty is a mean between bashfulness and boldness - and so on with the other virtues.

St. Dorotheos of Gaza

I have never heard it described this way before.

[gzt]

I think this is what Aristotle meant by the Golden Mean or whatever it was he called it.

[Llauralin]

I think this is what Aristotle meant by the Golden Mean or whatever it was he called it.
Really? I'm doing an essay in math class, and there the Golden mean has to do with the proportions of the Fiberacci (sp?) sequence in geometry, as used by certain ancient mathmaticians and archetects...:scratch:

[gzt]

Hey! I do math. Golden ratio, you mean? Aristotle proposed the Golden Mean of Moderation, which was "moderation in all things", though he certainly also did work related to the golden ratio.

[Llauralin]

Apperently the "golden section, ratio, or mean." See http://goldennumber.net

Maybe it's used in reference to both....

[gzt]

Prolly. I mean, math is very much related to virtue, which is the sole reason I practise it.