Aristotelian Virtue Calibration
Adjust each virtue toward the workable mean between two extremes
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 98%
Aristotle's virtue ethics, as Schur explains it, treats good character as calibration. For each important quality, identify both failure modes: too little and too much. Courage, for example, falls short when a soldier flees at the first sign of trouble and overshoots when the soldier rashly attacks an army alone. The goal is the appropriate amount for the situation, not the maximum amount of a desirable trait. Because people inevitably miss that point, the method includes a feedback loop: review the action, decide whether it reflected excess or deficiency, and aim closer to the middle next time. This makes ethical development iterative and forgiving. A mistake is not the end of the process; recognizing it provides the information needed for the next adjustment.
Origin
Schur identified Aristotle as one of the philosophers he would keep on speed dial because virtue ethics is inviting and forgiving of human mistakes.
Core principles
- 01A virtue can fail through excess or deficiency
- 02Good conduct aims between the extremes
- 03Mistakes are expected inputs to adjustment
- 04What you do next matters more than perfection
How to run it
- 1
Name the relevant virtue
Identify the personal quality the situation calls for, such as courage or generosity.
- 2
Map both extremes
Describe what too little and too much of that quality would look like in this context.
Pro tip Use concrete behaviors rather than abstract labels.
- 3
Aim for the fitting amount
Choose conduct that fulfills the situation's demand without falling into deficiency or excess.
Watch out The middle is contextual, not a numerical average.
- 4
Account for the result
After acting, decide whether you landed too far toward either extreme.
Watch out Do not turn an imperfect attempt into a reason to abandon the practice.
- 5
Correct the next attempt
Use the accounting to move the next similar decision closer to the appropriate mean.
Pro tip Measure progress through better adjustment, not an absence of mistakes.
In the wild
Schur relays Aristotle's soldier example: fleeing the unit at the first sign of trouble shows too little courage, while charging an entire army alone shows too much. The useful response is enough courage to do the job without acting rashly.
→ The virtue becomes a context-sensitive target between cowardice and reckless excess.
Common mistakes
Maximizing every virtue
More of a desirable quality is not always better; excess can become its own failure mode.
Treating mistakes as terminal
The method expects errors and uses them to calibrate the next decision.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for recurring choices involving traits such as courage, generosity, or magnanimity.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when a clear legal or moral prohibition should not be treated as a balance between extremes.
From the transcript
“find the exact right amount of all those qualities”
“the key is like be courageous enough to do your job but not so courageous that you act rashly”
“just check in like do an accounting of what you've done and then adjust and keep aiming towards that dead solid middle perfect spot”
From the episode
#565: Michael Schur, Creator of “The Good Place” — How SNL Trains Writers, His TV University at “The Office,” Lessons from Lorne Michaels, Wisdom from David Foster Wallace, and Exploring Moral Philosophy with “How to Be Perfect”
Michael Schur