Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were all greatly concerned with refining and structuring moral philosophy, finding answers to the most unconventional questions regarding human nature. However, as they hoped to seduce an absolute definition, they prevented themselves from focusing on it in a restricted manner but also in moderation. The significance of moderation could be found in Greek schools of thought since the earliest times, such as the ancient myth of Icarus, sustaining the idea of ‘nothing in excess’.
Aristotle was especially inspired by the ideation of moderation in his ethics, he apprehended virtue as not two extremes of ‘good’ to ‘bad’, but rather as the right balance between the two – the Golden Mean. This concept he envisioned was implied in his teachings and other areas of moral philosophy. For example, too much courage at one extreme is likely recklessness, while the complete absence of it is cowardice, both of which are regarded as undesirable traits by intellectuals. It’s the right balance for every aspect that combines as true virtue that can be accepted as plausible and rational.
