ABSTRACT
Aristotle's view is that one needs actually to have the appropriate virtue in order to do things which are ethically good. In this chapter Aristotle discusses the issue of mens rea in offences. He says that offences fall into different kinds according to the state of mind of the offender. If the offender is in some state of ignorance of particular facts, then the offence is a mistake, but when he acts with knowledge and not having deliberated, then it is an act of injustice. Aristotle offers a sort of definition of virtue, he indicates that virtue is a disposition concerned with choice. Virtue is a hexis of character which chooses the mean, relative to people, in pleasant and painful things. A choice is a decision to do something relatively immediate in the light of goals or ideals, a disposition to choose will be a disposition which translates the goals and ideals of a person into more immediate expression.
