There's a wonderful scene in the C.S. Lewis biopic
The Shadowlands, where Anthony Hopkins, as Lewis, explains Aristotle's ethics to a group of fresher tutorialists. Pipe pressed between his lips, Hopkins ponders the relationship between character and action: which is more important for judging the measure of a man? "Aristotle's solution," he pontificates, "was simple, and revolutionary." There was no difference. Character was action--it was habit, whose existence was only meaningful to the extent it was enacted.
Thus saith Lewis (and Hopkins). And herewith saith Waterson (and Hobbes):
One of the delights of C&H is the breezy encounters one has with some of the truly Great Questions. The off-handed manner and unexpected locale makes them all the more delicious.
Lost you here...Character was action--it was habit, whose existence was only meaningful to the extent it was enacted.
ReplyDeleteAre you saying *habit's* existence was only meaningful to the extent it was enacted? or Character or action?
Have you seen the movie "The Shoes of the Fisherman" with Anthony Quinn?
ReplyDeleteI think you might enjoy it...about the role of the church in the modern world - making a hard choice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shoes_of_the_Fisherman