Aristotle proposed the notion that we should strive not to extirpate all negative emotion, but to experience appropriate emotions in appropriate proportions. The virtuous had to learn to master their emotions and experience them appropriately in the right balance. This balance was defined as a mean between two extremes, and this mean varied by circumstance. Courage was the ideal mean between cowardice and rashness, and pride between humility and vanity. In this sense, ethics could be compared to aesthetics, striving toward beauty, proportion, and harmony.11
