Olympias presenting the young Alexander the Great to Aristotle by Gerard Hoet before 1733
Perhaps the greatest virtue of our day is self-expression. Being the authentic you is seen as the paramount task of any human being. Our society’s dedication to self-expression is most clearly apparent in the LGBTQ alphabet. It seems that each day a new letter is added in order to denote another uncommon sexual preference. Many have even attempted to ignore biology in the quest for greater individuality. Children have their body parts cut off and those who oppose it are accused of bigotry. “How dare you refuse to accept who someone really is,” they angrily shout.
Despite the general irrationality of these left-wing activists, they do touch upon a subject of the utmost importance; what does it mean to be an authentic human being? Many liberals pretend that they prefer to leave this question up to each individual to decide. But such an answer is meaningless. If to be the real you is doing whatever you want, then you are nothing more than your impulses.
Humans, unlike animals, have the ability to choose. This ability to choose, however, is not an end in itself. Choosing rightly is the goal of all human action. If this were not the case, then parenting would make no sense. One would merely allow children to choose whatever they wished. But even the most progressive parents typically don’t go this far.
The ancient philosophers provide a much better road to authentic personhood than modern progressives. They viewed the world in terms of an end or goal, also known as a telos. Humans, because of our unique status in the universe, also have a unique telos. Aristotle, perhaps the greatest philosopher of all time, believed that the goal of all human activity is flourishing. But flourishing is not some abstract concept that is different for all individuals. Flourishing is inherently linked to our nature as human beings. We cannot flourish by merely pursuing pleasure or nutritive growth because both animals and plants possess these faculties. Humans, unlike any other creature, possess reason. Thus, in order to flourish, humans must engage in rational activity in accordance with virtue. The good man, who lives a good life, will achieve flourishing by strictly adhering to reason and virtue. Aristotle’s ethical framework is not a mere suggestion. It is a profound insight that is linked to our objective nature as human beings. Flourishing is not a feeling but an objective state that is produced by adherence to reason and virtue.
Such an account of human nature and the good life is far removed from progressive calls for limitless self-expression. At its most basic level, self-expression resolves itself through the fulfillment of sexual appetites. What is the LGBTQ alphabet other than a list of sexual preferences? Self-expression is merely doing what you want to do without any rational forethought. Additionally, self-expression endorses cowardice. Courage is the ability to stand firm in the face of danger, in order to protect what you love. All courage has an element of fear associated with it as well. If there were no fear that accompanied courage, then it would merely be irrational risk-taking.
Self-expression tells us that cowardice is just as worthy of choice as courage because it is an act of self-expression. Worse, it tells us that cowardice is better because we are expressing our true selves. By contrast , virtue ethics tells us that we are morally obligated to achieve the end of human life. We are commanded by our very nature to place restraints upon ourselves in order to fulfill our telos. The life of virtue is fundamentally a life of courage. It means renouncing our base passions and incorporating them into a well-ordered life. Self-expression, by contrast, is relativistic. It tells us that the mere act of choosing is worthy of praise. Self-expression is incompatible with both parenting and virtue.
In order to reinvigorate the moral foundations of our society we must reinstill a dedication to virtue in schools, the houseland, and in the public sphere. Self-expression is the desire to break restraints. But it is restraints which allow us to be authentic human beings by utilizing the best aspects of our nature.
Very thought provoking. I give it a 👍👍👍