the Nicomachean Ethics

In Book II Chapter 9 of the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle speaks of the difficulty of being virtuous, since it is sometimes a challenge to find a mean in action. He offers this formula as a way of thinking about virtue, here working with the particular cases of showing anger and being generous: “[S]o too, while getting angry, or giving and spending money, belong to everyone and are easy, to whom and how much and when and for what purpose and in what way to do these things are no longer in everyone’s power, nor are they easy; for this reason what is done well is rare and praiseworthy and beautiful.” (Nicomachean Ethics, II:9; pg. 34-35) Explain what this formula for virtue means. Explain in particular how this is an expansion upon what Aristotle means when he describes happiness as an active condition of soul in accordance with virtue (Book I, Chapter 7; pg. 12). And be specific about how we go about discovering where the mean falls when it comes to the actions in question. Use short quotations from Aristotle's text to support how you’re understanding his ideas. Also be sure to develop specific examples of virtues to illustrate how you’re understanding the formula in question.