Aristotle_&_Machiavelli__Generosity_And_Liberality

Aristotle & Machiavelli: Generosity And Liberality In book four of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, he discusses generosity and it’s excesses and deficiencies. He goes into detail and explains the mean of what a generous man is. In The Prince, Machiavelli also describes liberality (generosity) with in a principality, and how it should be used, if at all. Aristotle describes generosity as the “mean” in the sphere of material goods. Generous men are defined as those who are “praised in the matters involving the giving and taking of material goods.” Aristotle characterized a generous man as an individual who gives t o the right people and takes from right people or sources. He also says that individuals who give, are good and noble, therefore, they are shown gratitude and are praised because of their helpfulness. A generous man, he states, is loved for excellence. Aristotle gives very specific guidelines as to what makes a truly generous man. Not every man is generous just because he gives. His generousity is based on his motives for giving, who he is giving to, and who or what he is acquiring his wealth from. Aristotle says a generous man will, “give in the correct man, generous, prince, liberality, because, says, good, giving, however, give, wealth, person, people, money, machiavelli, liberal, gives, generosity, aristotle, stingy, right, much, correct, wrong, ultimately, truly, time, subjects, spend, praised, one, noble, must, mean, material