"On the Way to Virtue," Apr. 23 (Th) at 3:30pm

[Daniel Lake]

 *The Institute for Ethics in Public Life invites you to join us for "On
the Way to Virtue: A Comparison of the Pursuit of Virtue in Aristotle and
Tsunetomo" on Thursday, April 23, at 3:30pm with special guest Dr. Kenneth
Leonardo, Post-Doctoral Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor of
Government, Hamilton College. *

>From Dr. Leonardo: "In this talk, I compare Aristotle’s view of
nobility-and-goodness (καλοκαγαθία) in the context of Ancient Greece with
Yamamoto Tsunetomo’s view of the way of the warrior (bushidō or 武士道) for
the Japanese samurai. This analysis is vital because it sets up a
comparison between two distinguished cultures to highlight some unduly
neglected similarities and pivotal differences. In the Eudemian Ethics,
Aristotle stressed that the noble-and-good human being has the noble goods,
is virtuous, and does noble things  for their own sake. In the *Hagakure*,
Tsunetomo gave prominence to serving one’s lord, honoring one’s parents,
benefiting others, and being courageous in the face of death. While there
are some striking contrasts between these warrior cultures, there are also
notable parallels raising questions for us about the function of honor in
the pursuit of justice and moral virtue when confronting injustice in the
political community, the role of piety, and lastly, the place of the
highest truth or wisdom in the warrior way of life."

If you'd like to learn more before this conversation, Dr. Leonardo has
written short overviews about the relationship between honor and virtue
<https://theconversation.com/seeking-honor-is-a-double-edged-sword-from-ancient-greece-to-samurai-japan-thinkers-have-wrestled-with-whether-its-the-way-to-virtue-262005>
and about teaching the 'way of the warrior
<https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-way-of-the-warrior-students-investigate-the-arts-of-war-and-peace-in-this-course-about-virtue-and-the-ethics-of-violence-242465>'
for *The Conversation*.

*Note that this is on Thursday, not Wednesday like most other Institute
events. *

Topic: On the Way to Virtue
Time: Apr 23, 2026 03:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://plattsburgh.zoom.us/j/84364770081
<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://plattsburgh.zoom.us/j/84364770081&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1776864933177535&usg=AOvVaw1aJh7O8ggTZfmoMGiAxfHS>

Meeting ID: 843 6477 0081
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-- 

*Daniel Lake*

(pronouns: he/him/his)

Professor of Political Science

Director, Institute for Ethics in Public Life

Hawkins 149A

101 Broad Street
<https://maps.google.com/?q=101+Broad+Street+Plattsburgh,+NY+12901&entry=gmail&source=g>

Plattsburgh, NY 12901
<https://maps.google.com/?q=101+Broad+Street+Plattsburgh,+NY+12901&entry=gmail&source=g>

(o) 518-564-5833 <(518)%5645833>

*plattsburgh.edu <http://plattsburgh.edu/>*
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