What is Truth? Aristotle and the Habituation of Appetite

The rational mind and prudence allow the individual to choose to act in a certain way. It allows the individual to consider the effects of actions performed as a result of the non-rational, appetitive mind. Rational thinking and prudence allow the individual to “look up” and to consider the ropes that have been thrown to them and see how they can be used to help them get out of the Pit. If one chooses to use rationality and prudence, non-rational actions can be avoided. We stop looking at the floor of the Pit and start looking for ways to get out. Further, the rational mind and prudence, because of the superiority of the rational mind over the non-rational mind, potentially allow for the appetites to be formed or modified to serve the rational goal of eudaimonia and Beatitude. The process by which this occurs is habituation. That is, we can actually form or develop appetitive behaviors that serve movement outside of the Pit. Habituation is the conscious and systematic “reprogramming” of the appetites to serve the rational goal of eudaimonia and Beatitude. Simply put, habituation is the conscious choice to develop actions or habits in life, which can be called virtue, in a repetitive and systematic manner by which, over time, these actions become normative. I have to be careful to stress “habits”, for Aristotle, as being positive behaviors. Some students read or hear the word “habit” and connote negative action. Aristotle shows that in the process of habituation, these virtues become the appetite of the individual. Habituation turns the non-rational appetitive mind into an agent for the rational mind. The result is an individual whose rational and non-rational mind are united in a common goal. The harmonious relationship of the rational and the non-rational mind forms an individual who can more readily achieve eudaimonia and Beatitude. The analogy I use is as you develop positive habits that serve a transcendent goal, if those habits are virtue, then you do them automatically, like breathing. It is like holding a door for someone without thinking.

St. Theresa's Church Discalced Carmelites. For the Discalced Carmelites, even going barefoot can become an appetite. That is, the can habituate themselves into wanting to go barefoot and to live a life of poverty. (photo P. Smith)

What is Truth? Aristotle and Prudence

For Aristotle, the defining characteristic of the human being is the rational mind. The same is True for Catholic theology. Most of my students have figured out by now that I am not the kind of theology teacher who is concerned with how God makes them “feel”. I am not really into a pathos kind of rhetoric in my classroom regarding Faith. This surprises a lot of my students. They are used to other teachers who have simply wanted them to Love Jesus the way they Love Jesus! Some previous teachers want their students to experience Jesus the same way they experience Jesus! I have a bit more of a logos driven rhetoric in my class. That is, we are defined by the ability to rationally and logically decide to act in accordance with a purpose. The ultimate purpose of life for Aristotle is eudaimonia. Rationality is the first step in the process of achieving this enduring happiness. This human flourishing. The same will be True for Beatific Vision. Aristotle claims that the rational mind possesses the ability to use prudence as a guide for all actions. Prudence refers to the virtue that allows us to consider the repercussions or effects of current actions on future states. The rational mind using prudence, therefore, allows humans to see in multiple dimensions, the present and the future, using given data. Prudence, then, can be thought of as some sort of connection with eternal Truth of the Authentic Self. The combination of the rational mind and prudence is essential as a fundamental element of the pursuit of eudaimonia and Beatific Vision. Already, at this point of this discussion of Aristotle, students are more engaged and more welcoming to new ideas. Most have never approached theology from a rational perspective.

The Dublin Martyrs statue outside the St. Mary's Pro Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland. It seems irrational to suffer life imprisonment or death for one's beliefs, the punishments Mary Ball (left) and Francis Taylor (right) were given for their faithfulness to the Catholic Faith. Of course, if eternity is greater than time, then their reason was sound.

What is Truth? Aristotle and the Rational Mind

Aristotle claims there are four personality types: the Virtuous, the Continent, the Incontinent, and the Vicious. The first three are individuals with a rational mind. The fourth, the Vicious, describes a person with no rational mind. All four personality types, as described by Aristotle, are can be described in terms of varying relationships between the rational mind and the non-rational appetitive mind. Again, I stress to my students Aristotle’s concept of the relationship between the rational and the non-rational mind. Like psychology and sociology, the very relationship within the language of Aristotle can reveal for us a common theme or a Sacramental image of relationship. Aristotle writes that the Virtuous is the happiest of all personality types. That is, eudaimonia is achieved by living a Virtuous life. Aristotle describes it in terms of the relationship between the rational mind and the appetitive mind. That is, the appetite has been formed or habituated to want the same eudaimonia the rational mind wants. This process will be described later in this blog.

The Ascension of Jesus in St. Mary's Pro Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland. The relationship between Jesus and the remaining eleven Apostles becomes a context by which we have Hope for greater happiness than we can imagine. If Jesus is fully human an He can ascend by the power of the Father, then so can we. (photo P. Smith).

The Continent and Incontinent Personalities represent the varying degrees to which the rational mind is developed and to which the appetite is controlled to achieve the Virtuous personality, and therefore, eudaimonia. Essentially, the Continent mind has a developed rational mind (although not as developed as a Virtuous Personality) that is capable of directing the Appetitive mind. The Continent personality has an Appetitive mind that has been fairly well-habituated, (although not as well as in the Virtuous personality). The Incontinent lacks the same level of development of the Continent Personality and often allows the non-rational appetitive mind to control actions. The Vicious Personality lacks any form of rationality and therefore is completely controlled by the non-rational appetitive mind. The Vicious Mind has no concept of anything outside the Pit. Aristotle admits that there seems to be no Hope for the Vicious Personality for there is no rational mind to control the appetite and as the appetite is without a rationality, it is entirely self-serving and cannot develop enduring relationships and therefore has no place in society. My students shudder a bit when I tell them that Aristotle actually believed Vicious human beings should be executed so as to protect society. It is the development of the Virtuous Personality as a harmonious relationship between the rational mind and the non-rational appetitive mind that concerns Aristotle for it is in that relationship that Aristotle claims eudaimonia can be achieved, namely through a logical progression from the rational mind, to prudence, to habituation, to virtue, to ethics, and to Peaceful and enduring human relationship. I mention to students that 1600 years later, St. Thomas Aquinas and the Catholic Church will see this logic as fundamental human movement toward relationship with self and others and, ultimately, the Authentic Self.

What is Truth? Aristotle

For Aristotle, the rational mind is essential to happiness. All humans possess a rational and a non-rational mind. The rational mind is able to look at the world and to make decisions using logic and reason. As logic and reason are elements of the rational mind and as the rational mind is directed always to the best for the individual, True human flourishing, the rational mind must be developed, fostered, and preserved for the sake of eudaimonia and, as it turns out, Beatific Vision. The non-rational mind, to Aristotle is similar to Freud’s id. Aristotle describes the non-rational mind as possessing the appetitive and the vegetative minds. The appetitive mind controls the desires and wants of the human person and is usually associated with vice. The appetites, to Aristotle, do not necessarily serve the pursuit of enduring happiness. Rather, the appetite is focused on immediate satisfaction of the material person. Without the direction of the rational mind, the non-rational mind is fixated on the material world inside the Pit. However, as will be described later, the appetites can be formed and trained by the rational mind to orient one’s actions toward eudaimonia. The vegetative mind controls the autonomic functions of the human person. These are the things that cannot be controlled by the rational mind but are essential to the normal functions of the human body. For example, the vegetative mind controls breathing, circulation, digestions, etc… Aristotle does not explore how the rational mind can control or direct the vegetative mind, although it may be possible if one considers some eastern philosophies and modern techniques. It is the relationship between the rational mind and the non-rational appetitive mind that most interests Aristotle in the pursuit of eudaimponia.

Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. The pursuit if education should be oriented toward the development of the the rational mind, ultimately, for the purpose of happiness. (photo P. Smith) 

What is Truth? Philosophy

          While Philosophy does explore concepts of transcendence and objective Truth, because philosophy is regarded as a study, and therefore an intellectual discipline, it must be regarded in terms of material epistemology. Philosophy, the “Love of Wisdom,” focuses on the pursuit of Wisdom for the sake of achieving Eudaimonia, a term I translated earlier as “happiness,” but more fully understood as “human flourishing”. It is a happiness that comes about as a result of living out one’s Authentic Self. For Aristotle, on whom the following paragraphs will focus, that Authentic Self is a result of enduring relationships between human beings. In terms of Christian Anthropology, it is within the context of enduring relationships that we reflect the image and likeness of the Triune God.

St. Joseph and the Child Jesus at Mary Immaculate, Refuge of Sinners in Dublin, Ireland. Just as we find happiness in the relationships we develop in time and space, so, too, did Jesus. (photo P. Smith)

True happiness is only experienced as one “knows” their Authentic Self. Aristotle claims that this happiness, eudaimonia, is related to a life of Virtue. That is, one who lives virtuously, is happiest. What is the connection between the Authentic Self and virtue? Aristotle uses philosophy to suggest a progression of ideology, beginning with the rational mind and ending with eudaimonia. But within that ideology is a theme of relationship, both internally and interpersonally that ultimately leads to True happiness, eudaimonia. When I start this lesson with my students, after introducing what Aristotle says about Virtue and eudaimonia, I often ask them to do a short writing assignment. I challenge them to connect the image and likeness of God with the concepts of Virtue. The students who think of education in a more utilitarian way, just say things like “God is virtuous so we should be virtuous too. That will make us happy.” The answer is flat and boring, and, if I am honest with them, devoid of any intelligent reasoning. Luckily they are not graded on their ability to actually be smart. But I do get some students who think more deeply. “God is humble relationship,” they write. “Virtue is caring for another person more than yourself. To be virtuous is to be humble and to work for stronger relationships with other people”. My students are not Boniface or Cardinal Newman! But they are on the right track. Often teachers just need to give students a chance to be brilliant. I am not sure what it is about Aristotle, but his ideas just make sense to teenagers when they are presented clearly.

What is Truth? Sociology and Conclusions

On a material level, Sociology and Myers-Briggs serve to train the individual to better relate to themselves and to others in the world. The result, as we will discuss in the section on Aristotle, is a world in which individuals relate more Peacefully and harmoniously, for, with mutual understanding, comes mutual concern. Further, the relationship within the personality spectrum in the dimensions of the MBTI (Introvert versus Extrovert etc…) suggests, again, a fundamental or primordial role relationship plays in the development of the authentic self. It is in discovering the authentic self that one is Truly happy. The MBTI serves to create a harmony within the self and between the self and others, and it is in this harmony that one is happiest, Relationship, once again, functions on a narrative and analogical level to lead to the authentic self and True happiness. The superstructure of Sociology (how do identifiers and MBTI Dimensions relate to each other) and the actual relationships that Sociology can foster, through Christian Sacramental Vision, are signs we can observe in the Pit that suggest our Trinitarian or Relationship-oriented image and likeness.

St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Lilburn, Georgia. When we know ourselves, we can develop deeper, more lasting relationships with others. 

What is Truth? Sociology and the MBTI

My students are going to take that the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator about ten times by the time they are in their mid-twenties, and, at least once, they will start trying to predict what everyone they know is based on Myers-Briggs. I like to present this test, which seems almost entirely arbitrary at times, as a Sacramental sign of common human desire to be in relationship with the self and with others. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assists individuals in identifying their strengths in regard to how one is “energized”, how one gathers information, how one makes decisions, and how one deals with complex issues. By using a series of tests, the MBTI can assist an individual in identifying who they are within the context of the test parameters. The MBTI classifies individuals with terms related to the previously mentioned strengths as Extroverted or Introverted, Sensing or Intuitive, Thinking or Feeling, and Perceiving or Judging. This form of personality assessment utilizes academic tools for classifying who a person is, or, rather, for describing who a person is. This Material epistemological tool measures an individual’s personality within the context of a predetermined scale. It is purely done within the context of the Pit. Without describing in detail how this scale is determined and how the test is administered, the result is a description of an individual in terms of the previously mentioned dimensions. This description can be used in multiple ways to assist the individual in their personal and professional life. That is, as one better understands their Personality Type as determined by the MBTI, they may better understand their natural likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses as they relate to the dimensions of the MBTI. Knowing this gives the individual a way in which to make decisions that will best fit their personality, thereby allowing them to make the healthiest and most natural choices in their lives. Further, if one is aware of another’s personality type and if they have trained themselves to adapt to various personality types in relationship, they can better relate to the world around them. Ultimately, in the Pit, we can know our “type” based on simple observations, but knowing our “type” is only part of the equation.

West Rim Train at Big Bend National Park in Texas. Introspection and reflection are vital in helping to know the self, but this all means nothing if we do not use this knowledge to deepen interpersonal relationships (photo T. Burrell)

            Most often, I tell students, people finish the test and now they have their “type” identified. They are now defined by four little letters. Most students, when I challenge then to think about boiling down their personality to four letters, suspect there to be something wrong with the test. I tell them there is nothing wrong with the test; we just can’t look at this as the end of the story. “What can we do with type indicators?” I ask. The answers come flooding in.  Again, they are using ideas we have studied earlier in class. “If we know what our type is then we can explain why we act the way we do.” If we know our type and the type of others, we can predict their behavior better.” “If we know types, Mr. Smith, we know ourselves and others better…we can have stronger relationships.” Exactly! I explain to students, again, how if we stop at just our “type” then everything around us is only seen as it relates to the self. We are still alone in the Pit. But if we are aware of other peoples’ “types”, then we can start to develop relationships with others, even if we are all in the Pit.