Aristotle’s catalogue of ethical virtues includes the virtue of magnificence (megaloprepeia), the mean between the vices of vulgarity and shabbiness. This paper asks what exactly the virtue of magnificence is, and more importantly, why it should be regarded as a virtue—that is, a human excellence and constitutive of a flourishing human life. Against the widely accepted view that magnificence is, essentially, a virtue of large-scale generosity or philanthropy, it argues that magnificence is conce…
Read moreAristotle’s catalogue of ethical virtues includes the virtue of magnificence (megaloprepeia), the mean between the vices of vulgarity and shabbiness. This paper asks what exactly the virtue of magnificence is, and more importantly, why it should be regarded as a virtue—that is, a human excellence and constitutive of a flourishing human life. Against the widely accepted view that magnificence is, essentially, a virtue of large-scale generosity or philanthropy, it argues that magnificence is concerned with the place of ‘adornment’ in our lives. Magnificence involves ‘exceeding the necessities’ of everyday living, and is tied, in particular, to our practices of celebration and glorification, or other such expressions of value, speaking to our nature as social and expressive beings and giving colour to our lives.
