A Link to the Past

Just a few links from around the web:

- Aristotelian and Thomist-inclined readers might be interested to hear that 3:AM Magazine recently interviewed John Haldane and E.J. Lowe.

- The Lawrence Krauss "nothingness" show continues as philosopher David Albert, writer of a critical New York Times review of the book A Universe from Nothing, lost his invitation to an upcoming debate on "The Existence of Nothing" involving Krauss and other physicists. (HT: Bill Vallicella)

Krauss's blatant equivocation in his use of the word "nothing" needs little reiteration, but for those curious, the philosophers Bill Vallicella and Ed Feser both do an excellent job. For similar bad philosophizing on "nothing" by Stephen Hawking, see the responses by philosopher William Lane Craig and physicist Stephen M. Barr.

Aristotle on the Natural Law

"It will now be well to make a complete classification of just and unjust actions. We may begin by observing that they have been defined relatively to two kinds of law, and also relatively to two classes of persons. By the two kinds of law I mean particular law and universal law. Particular law is that which each community lays down and applies to its own members: this is partly written and partly unwritten. Universal law is the law of Nature. For there really is, as every one to some extent divines, a natural justice and injustice that is binding on all men, even on those who have no association or covenant with each other. " -- Aristotle, Rhetoric, 1.13.1373b5
(HT: David Oderberg, "The Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Law")

On Love and Tolerance: Part 2

I usually like to keep this a family-friendly blog, but this image macro represents the origin of the Brony slogan "Love and Tolerance." (More info here.)

This is a very interesting article critiquing the Brony slogan "Love and Tolerance." I offer a few thoughts below. By no means do they constitute a full response. Perhaps I'll write one in the near future.


I'm in agreement with the author in his critique of the formulation of "love and tolerance" that sees tolerance as "live and let live" or being indifferent to what others say or do. This kind of tolerance doesn't fit with an understanding of love as "willing" or "doing" good by another.

However, I'm thinking the author is limiting his understanding of love to a purely "natural" friendship (philia), as opposed to charity (caritas) as Christians tend to understand love. Philosophers (or at least those following Aristotle) usually understand friendship to be conditional, that is, friendship is exclusive and mutual (we reciprocate our love). If you don't meet the high standards of virtue, then you can't join the club, so to speak. I think C.S. Lewis made this point in his The Four Loves. So eventually, if Gilda or Trixie aren't willing to change their bad habits of being disagreeable and prideful, then they just can't be friends with the Mane Six.

Charity, on the other hand, loves another person for simply existing, however lovable or unlovable their character, even if they are actively opposed to us as enemies. The My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic show mostly deals with friendship and the struggles needed to attain and maintain that kind of relationship, so there isn't much room for charity, though I imagine the forgiveness of Celestia for Luna and Twilight for Trixie are among the few examples.

I tend to think of tolerance as an allowance for human weakness and error (1). That is, we aren't perfect in being virtuous, in doing the right thing, so we have to coexist in the hopes that people might change.

If you consider love as simply an emotion and not a relationship requiring action (2), then conjoining this diminished understanding of love with a common reading of tolerance as indifference or non-interference reduces L & T to "doing nothing whilst having warm, fuzzy feelings." You might even say it means approving the disagreeable behavior of others.

But, once you understand the nature of both love and tolerance, then you can see that tolerance serves the ends of love, which is wiling the good of another.

***

1. Edward Feser, "Cardinal Virtues and Counterfeit Virtues," considers whether tolerance is a virtue.

2. David S. Oderberg, Moral Theory: A Non-Consequentialist Approach, 52-53

RPG Catholic Presidential Voting Guide II

On the eve of the third debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, I'd like to point out two more alternative write-in candidates for president. Don't forget my previous endorsement of Stubbs the cat and Princess Luna.

- St. Thomas Aquinas (along with running mate, Aristotle):

- Mr. Darwin and his friend Matthew Grady are also in the running.

Of Union and Discord

Union/Harmony vs. Discord

This post by Brandon, part of his interesting "Poem a Day" series, is worth reading, especially for Bronies like me who are familiar with the magic of friendship and the dangers of Discord.

What is Friendship? Some Criteria from Aristotle

Obviously after two seasons, the Mane Six had plenty of time to bond after their rather rushed friendship-making in the first two episodes

According to Joshua W. Schulz's article "Kierkegaard's Tragic and Comic Lovers" in the Spring 2012 ACPQ, Aristotle considers a relationship to be a friendship only if it meets the following five conditions:

1. Each person recognizes some excellence in the other person.

2. Each person wishes well (some good) to the other person, for the other's sake, in respect of the excellence recognized in (1).

3. Both (1) and (2) are reciprocally known.

4. The relationship has developed over a sufficient period of time.

5. The friends have become familiar with each other, i.e., have been found lovable and trustworthy.

As I've written before, friendship requires a mutuality of love, of wishing and doing well by another, in addition to an equality of virtue (a common recognition and pursuit of the good), as can be seen in conditions 1-3. However, friendship requires some time for potential friends to get to know each other, for familiarity. As Aristotle says, a friend "lives with another and has the same tastes, or shares the same sorrows and joys with his friend" (NE, IX, 4). To know another person's character, whether their tastes match yours, is not usually something you can do with mere acquaintances you run into at school, work, or Facebook (where physical proximity usually doesn't enter the picture). Potential friends are in it for the long haul in order to build loyalty and trust.

Update: Of course, as Kevin Rossiter of the Facebook Thomistic Discussion Group reminds me, friendships of virtue contain elements from the other two kinds of friendship, utility and pleasure. Therefore, in the "perfect" friendship of virtue, friends are good (virtuous), useful and pleasant to be around.         

Friendship and Discord

States, it seems, are maintained by friendship; and legislators are more zealous about it than about justice. This is evident from the similarity between friendship and concord; but legislators most of all wish to encourage concord and to expel discord as an enemy of the state. If people are friends there is no need of justice, but just men do need friendship. Likewise what is just seems to be especially favorable to friendship. -- Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, 1155

If you want harmony in your state, it's a good idea to get rid of this guy...

Applejack and the Virtue of Truthfulness: Part 2 (of 3)

                                                Liarjack and Pinkie Promises

We've seen examples of Applejack's honesty in season one, and, now, in season two, AJ begins to show her darker side. While in "The Return of Harmony”, she becomes a habitual liar against her will, in "The Last Roundup" she voluntarily makes a promise that she might never have intended to keep.

In "Return of Harmony," some infighting between the "Cutie Mark Crusaders," Apple Bloom (AJ's little sister), Sweetie Belle (Rarity's little sister), and Scootaloo, unexpectedly brings along the return of Discord from a thousand-year imprisonment in a statuesque prison. As I've noted before, Discord's main motivation is spreading social chaos by creating enmity between the ponies. (But, hey, as Pinkie Pie says, at least all this chaos comes with chocolate milk rain!)

Realists and Nominalists disputing the existence of universals (oh, and of friendship)

Discord uses his powers to corrupt each of the Main Six, in some sense turning their strengths (virtues) into their opposite weakness (vices). Thus, Rainbow Dash, the loyal one, is now disloyal to her friends, Fluttershy, the kind one, is now unkind, Rarity, the generous one, becomes covetous, Pinkie Pie, the playful one, adopts a boorish and joyless temperament, and Twilight, the friendly one, is suddenly unfriendly. In short, the harmony between the Main Six gives way to disharmony. But for our purposes we focus on Applejack, the honest one, who trades her honest disposition for inveterate lying.

Liarjack

Discord used his manipulation to fool AJ into hiding the truth because "sometimes a lie is easier to take." Almost immediately, the lies begin to spew forth from Liarjack's mouth. Twilight is surprised that honest Applejack would lie and initially is in disbelief. But TS's initial skepticism falls under the weight of AJ's increasingly frequent intentional false statements. However, once Twilight rediscovers the "magic of friendship" which holds the Mane Six (and Equestria) together, she manages to heal the rifts between each of her friends, and together they defeat Discord with the Elements of Harmony. AJ returns to her honest self and takes part in a celebration of the Mane Six's destruction of the Death Star, I mean, of the defeat of Discord.

Honest Applejack returns

The excuse of being under the influence of Discord is not available in "The Last Roundup." Applejack travels to Canterlot to compete in a rodeo competition and to help raise money to fix Ponyville City Hall (Derpy's doing). When Applejack doesn't return and sends back a cryptic letter about "not coming back to Ponyville," the Mane Six get suspicious and board the Friendship Express train to Canterlot, promising the Apple family to find out the real reason for AJ's absence.

Apple Bloom's epic sad face

At the Canterlot rodeo, the pony friends find no sign of Applejack, so they move on to the frontier town of Dodge Junction all the way in the outer edges of Equestria. Finally, at the local outhouse the Mane Six stumble onto AJ, who appears to be working as a hired hoof for one of the local ranch owners. Applejack is reluctant to answer her friends' queries over why she didn't return to Ponyville after the rodeo. She wanted a "change of scenery" and took a job harvesting cherries, "end of story." The Mane Six rightfully see that AJ is withholding crucial information and make plans to "get her to spill the beans," as RD puts it.

AJ, I don't think you're being honest with us...

The Mane Six's first attempt to get Applejack to tell the truth meets with failure in a sea of red and yellow cherries. A more ambitious plan unfolds, as Rarity says, "desperate times do call for desperate measures." The Mane Six bring in their truth serum secret weapon: Pinkie Pie! Pinkamena summons all her powers of buffoonery and nonsense to annoy AJ into confessing...until AJ finally cracks and promises to tell her friends the truth at breakfast the next day.

Nopony can withstand Pinkie torture!

Instead of keeping her "Pinkie Promise," Applejack gets out of dodge, literally! The Mane six follow her in pursuit. Once they close in on AJ, Pinkie Pie hops on board the stagecoach and confronts her over the broken promise. AJ seems to say that she didn't break the promise since she never meant to keep it in the first place! "I just can't tell you the truth!" AJ responds. Saddened by her friend's dishonesty, Pinkie Pie leaps off the stagecoach...

You Pinkie Promised!

Just when Applejack thinks she escaped, Rainbow Dash swoops in out of the sky and tackles AJ to the ground. AJ drops her saddlebag, revealing a host of medals she won at the rodeo competition. Apparently AJ didn't do as well as she expected (failing to place first in any contest) and didn't earn any prize money. As the town of Ponyville and AJ's friends had high hopes, she's too embarrassed to admit her failure, thus she stayed in Dodge Junction to work until she could raise money for the Ponyville City Hall repairs.

But Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash make it clear that they don't mind if Applejack does poorly in rodeos, they're friends regardless. They just want AJ to come back home. Applejack agrees to put aside her pride and returns to Ponyville... (Meanwhile, Rarity and Pinkie Pie get left behind.)

Darn it, now you got me acting all sappy!

Applejack and the Virtue of Truthfulness: Part 1 (of 3)

         [As today is the feast of St. Augustine, whose definition of lying as "speaking falsely with the intent to deceive" I incline towards, I think it's fitting I begin my series on the virtue of honesty and the vice of lying.]                                        

                                                           Character Overview

Applejack

Applejack in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is a country pony with a southern accent and like all the members of the Apple family (her brother Big Mac, her little sister Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith) AJ’s special talent is apple harvesting. Unlike her lazy friend Rainbow Dash, AJ is adamant about hard work (sometimes too much, as in her attempt to single-hoovfully buck all the apples in Sweet Apple Acres). AJ’s stubborn pride sometimes gets her into conflict with the other Mane Six (she won’t accept busybody Twilight’s help, she can’t get along with the prissy Rarity, she is extremely competitive with the athletic RD).

The Apple Family

Applejack also embodies the Element of Honesty. As the Hasbro.com description tells us, “Applejack would never stoop to tell a lie and this makes her a beacon for those seeking advice.”

"You've never told a lie? You honest, AJ?"

There a few episodes in the series in which Applejack's honesty comes into play and in these series of posts I'll focus on "Friendship is Magic: Part 2," "Party of One," The Return of Harmony: Part 2," and "The Last Roundup." In addition, I'll look at "Green isn't Your Color," which, while it doesn't feature AJ, still focuses on the importance of keeping promises.
                                             
                                                Applejack, Don't Lie to Me

We meet Applejack in the first episode of FiM. She invites the newcomer Twilight Sparkle to an Apple family reunion. AJ, of course, teams up with the rest of the Mane Six to look for the ancient pony castle to find the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon (my previous posts on FiM Episode 1 and 2).

In the Everfree Forest, amongst all the trials the new pony friends face, AJ emerges to show her quality: honesty. Twilight almost falls off a cliff, held only by AJ's hooves. Applejack tells Twilight to let go and promises she'll be safe. Being skeptical by temperament (and no doubt afraid of heights), Twilight asks AJ to honestly tell her if she means what she says. AJ responds that she's telling the "honest truth." Twilight decides to trust AJ and does indeed let go. Before she can hit the ground, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, both pegasi, catch Twilight. Therefore, Applejack is true to her word.

Long live the Princess...

Applejack does not appear in the episode "Green isn't Your Color," but her zany friend Pinkie Pie is a suitable substitute. Most of the episode is concerned with the dress designer Rarity’s attempts to gain the notice of Equestria’s famous fashion photographer Photo Finish. Rarity needs a fashion model and the closest candidate is the bashful pegasus Fluttershy. FS is initially reluctant (no surprise) but agrees to help.

While Rarity attempts to find the right dress for Fluttershy in Carousel Boutique, we see Twilight, Pinkie Pie and Spike (Twilight’s baby dragon assistant) mention one of the episode’s themes: keeping promises. Spike agrees to reveal a personal secret to Twilight and Pinkamena but tells them to promise to tell nopony else… He has a crush on Rarity! Twilight doesn’t seem willing at first to keep quiet but Pinky interjects. She tells Twilight that, “You promised Spike you wouldn't say anything. He trusts you. And losing a friend's trust is the fastest way to lose a friend forever!” As if for emphasis, Pinky adds an emphatic, “FOREVER!”

After Photo Finish finishes her shoot, she announces that she intends to make Fluttershy, not Rarity, the new fashion star of Equestria. Rarity is visibly disappointed, but nevertheless tells her friend Fluttershy to promise not waste this opportunity at fame.

Forever!

However, alone in her thoughts, Rarity is still a bit jealous over not being picked to be Equestria's next top fashion model. After revealing her wish for Fluttershy to fail, Rarity makes Twilight promise not to tell FS. Fluttershy comes into the spa, missing Rarity's departure, and decides to confide a secret to Twilight, making TS promise not tell Rarity that she does not want to become a fashion star but only proceeds because of her promise to Rarity. Twilight desires to break her promise to Rarity and tell Fluttershy how Rarity really feels but stops after a side-glance from Pinky, the element of honesty in this episode.

Trying to unravel the tangle of promises, Twilight comes up with a plan: sabotage Fluttershy's fashion show, ruining her career and thus making it so that Rarity will no longer be jealous of FS. Of course, Twilight makes Pinky Pie promise not to tell anypony.

Twilight's plan goes well until Rarity arrives and uses her charm to sway the crowd into cheering for Fluttershy. Not only is FS back to square one, she's even more popular than before! Rarity walks in on Fluttershy and Twilight having a conversation in the dressing room. Twilight has to keep herself from breaking either of their promises. Luckily, both Rarity and Fluttershy finally reveal what they think to each other. Rarity is jealous of Fluttershy's success and wanted her to fail and Fluttershy never wanted to be a model in the first place. "If we just told each other the truth," Fluttershy says. Rarity and Fluttershy promise never to keep their feelings secret from each other again.

No more secrets between us...Wait, is that 'Lady Gaga' in the background?

Twilight eventually reveals Spikie's secret, but everypony already knows he likes Rarity, so nopony minds, though Twilight still apologizes to Spike anyway...

The episode "Party of One" tests Applejack's honesty as the Mane Six plan a surprise birthday party for Pinkie Pie. Of course, a surprise birthday party requires the birthday pony to be unaware of the party or, as Pinkie puts it, "then it wouldn’t be a surprise." Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack proceed to play a game of deception to keep Pinkamena in the dark while they plan the festivities. Unfortunately, Pinkie Pie plans a party the exact the same day (completely unaware of her own birthday) and is confused at her friends declining to attend and then avoiding her all day. All of the Mane Six offer an "excuse" (and avoid divulging the plan) for not coming to Pinkie's party, including AJ.

Why are all my friends lying to me today?

Pinkie Pie finally gets suspicious and follows RD (with birthday present in tow) to AJ's barn, where the Main Six are setting up the surprise party.  Of all ponies, AJ, the honest one, finds herself dealing with the Pinky at the door. Pinkamena asks AJ what the Mane Six are up to in the barn and AJ responds that they are doing some "construction" work, complete with fake sound effects. Frustrated by the evasiveness and lying of her friends, Pinky misinterprets the Mane Six's intentions to be no longer including her in their social circle (the end of their friendship) and, already being a little crazy to begin with, she edges ever closer to complete madness.

It's all fun and games until Pinkie loses it...

After literally being dragged all the way to AJ's barn by RD, Pinkie Pie accuses her friends of avoiding and lying to her to drive her from the group before finding out that the Mane Six planned to throw her a surprise birthday all along (hence her surprise!). RD also admits that the Mane Six lied but only to keep the surprise. Of course, Pinkie Pie isn’t exactly the moral exemplar of honesty herself… Anyway, Pinkie regains her sanity, the friends reconcile, and the Mane Six get down to serious party business as the episode ends.

Her blood lust sated, Pinkie has a good time at her surprise birthday party

[Next post I'll look at two episodes from season two, "Elements of Harmony P2" and "The Last Roundup, before finishing the series on honesty and lying with some help from Aristotle, St. Augustine, and St. Thomas Aquinas.]

Twilight Sparkle: Element of Friendship, Egghead, Philosopher

Twilight's Library

Just a few books from the Golden Oaks Library:

- Plato, The Complete Works, John M. Cooper, ed.

- Aristotle, The Basic Works of Aristotle, Richard McKeon, ed.

- Henry Veatch, Aristotle: A Contemporary Appreciation

- Boethius, Consolation of Philosophy, Joel C. Relihan, ed.

- St. Augustine, Confessions, Henry Chadwick, ed.

- -----------, City of God, Henry Bettenson, ed.

- St. Anselm, The Major Works, Brian Davies, ed.

- St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae: A Concise Translation, Timothy McDermott, ed.

- Ed Feser, Aquinas

Twilight no doubt studying for her next friendship report...

John C. Wright on the Natural Law

JCW: Ninja-Trained  Philosopher

Be sure to check out this running debate between the science fiction writer (and fellow Brony) John C. Wright and some of his readers on the natural law. I should mention the excellent comment by Matthew Su, a member of the Thomistic Discussion Group on Facebook, who elaborates on the Aristotelian-Thomistic metaphysical grounding of NLT.

On Love and Tolerance: Part 1

More to follow, but for now some preliminary thoughts on the popular Brony slogan "Love and Tolerance," inspired by DGD's recent blogging on certain Brony misunderstandings of sex:

If we understand love in the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition (of which, the Christian virtue of charity is the culmination), then a certain relationship with toleration follows:

1. If to love is to will the good of another.

and

2. If to tolerate is to respect (or put up with) another's differing ideas or lifestyle.

Therefore

3. If you love someone, you cannot tolerate that which is contrary to the good of another.

If the argument is sound, the relationship you have with another person determines the amount of tolerance you can give to another person's disagreements in ideas and actions.

To be continued...

Fluttershy and the Virtue of Friendliness: Part 2

                     Friendship Report: Aristotle and Aquinas on Friendliness or Amiability

Well, I did like this episode. It’s a bit fun to see Fluttershy acting out of character. However, what I find more interesting is that “Putting Your Hoof Down” is a kind of a moral lesson on the virtue of friendliness or amiability, as identified by the two prominent virtue ethicists Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas.

Aristotle, Aquinas, and some guy named Plato

Before I get to the specific virtue, allow me some words on virtues in general. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that:

1804 Human virtues are firm attitudes, stable dispositions, habitual perfections of intellect and will that govern our actions, order our passions, and guide our conduct according to reason and faith. They make possible ease, self-mastery, and joy in leading a morally good life. The virtuous man is he who freely practices the good.

The moral virtues are acquired by human effort. They are the fruit and seed of morally good acts; they dispose all the powers of the human being for communion with divine love.

Summarized roughly, the virtues are dispositions towards doing the good, for morally right actions. A disposition (or habitus in Latin) is a firmness or stability in doing something, as opposed to random behavior – “A virtue is a habitus that is always for good” as Aquinas says (ST 2-1.55.4). Therefore, somepony who exemplifies the virtue of honesty, like Applejack, is disposed towards telling the truth, instead of just sporadic truthfulness some of the time. (We can get into the further issue of the consistency of AJ’s honesty in the series but that’s another post for another day, not to mention it'll lead us back to that whole debate on the Catholic blogosphere a year ago on the definition of lying and whether lying is always wrong, which I think is the case.)

AJ, be honest, have you told any lies lately?

As virtues dispose us towards the good, their opposites, vices, dispose us towards the bad. More specifically, while virtues perfect our powers of the soul (the rational soul in us humans), as Aquinas notes (ST 2-1.55.4), vices work against the perfection of our powers.

Cultivating virtues is then just like learning to ride a bike, you practice and practice until the action becomes easy to do, or second nature.

Two further points, though. First, it is important that the Latin term habitus used by Aquinas translates as “disposition” rather than “habit,” as a disposition, while firm once acquired, is still voluntary, that is, we freely chose to exercise the action. Second, both Aristotle and Aquinas see the good as the fulfilling of the end of something (my buddy DGD mentions “final causality” in connection to MLP-related matters here). In the case of humans, rational animals in Aristotle’s definition, the good for us is the perfection or fulfilling of our rational nature; the virtues help us in the journey towards this end, which is happiness, be it intellectual contemplation in the case of Aristotle or the beatific vision for Aquinas.

Virtue theory usually divides the virtues into the intellectual, moral, and theological, the first two (potentially) acquirable by human effort and the third only attainable by God’s grace (though for the Catholic all virtues require God’s help in some sense). However, for the purposes of this post, we focus only on the moral virtues (or “cardinal virtues”). The cardinal virtues divide into prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. Prudence guides the other virtues and is a kind of moral common sense that allows us to discern the right goods to purse along with the right means. Justice is concerned with giving what is due (to both other men and God). Fortitude is firmness in pursuit of the good. Temperance is a balance in sensual pleasures, like food, drink and sex.

Since the virtue of justice concerns giving what is due to our neighbor, and since humans are social animals as Aristotle points out, it is of great importance what sort of relationship we have with others in society (and with God). We owe a debt of honor of truthfulness in our words (honesty) and actions (friendliness), without which society could not survive (ST, 2-2.114.2). As Julie Davis of Happy Catholic blog reminds us, it all boils down to following the commandant of Christ to love, to “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12). The just man, then, lives in harmony with his fellow man, which brings us back to friendliness, a satellite virtue of justice…

                                        Fluttershy the Element of Amiability

Among the moral virtues considered by Aristotle is one to which he gives no name that deals with our relations with other people, but can be called by us friendliness or amiability. First, Aristotle considers two extremes or vices related to friendliness - obsequiousness and disagreeableness:

Some men seem to be obsequious in association with others and in interchange of words and deeds. They praise everything for the sake of pleasantness, and never contradict anyone, being of the opinion that unpleasantness ought to be avoided. 

Others, on the contrary, always find fault, taking care to emphasize anything unpleasant. They are called perverse and quarrelsome. (NE, IV, 816-817)

In other words, obsequiousness is being a “doormat” or “pushover” with others, being overly eager to please and not cause offense, especially in matters in which disagreement is necessary. While with her general agreeable disposition Fluttershy is always in danger of this vice, in “Putting your Hoof Down” she definitely slides over in obsequiousness. At the start of the episode, when her dealings with other ponies call for her to point out an injustice, she instead backs down, not wanting to displease anypony.

Fluttershy the Doormat

On the other hoof, the opposite vice of disagreeability doesn’t give a flying feather what others think, be it causing offense, criticizing, and arguing at every opportunity. Therefore, the new Fluttershy, fresh off her assertiveness training, is nasty towards the other residents of Ponyville, even her own friends, harshly criticizing any mistakes, flaws, or quirks that cross her path, regardless of what pain it may cause or of the necessity.

Nastyshy

Aristotle next tells us the mean between the two extremes:

These habits being reprehensible, obviously the mean habit is laudable—that habit according to which a person approves what he should and also disapproves what he should. (NE, IV, 818)

Amiability or friendliness boils down to being agreeable with others when necessary and disagreeable when necessary. Aristotle further elaborates that the amiable man “aims to cause no offense and to give pleasure” but “will refuse to give pleasure and will choose to cause pain over what is dishonorable and harmful to himself or to the person doing an injury or a great wrong” (NE, IV, 825). In other words, the friendly or amiable will usually be pleasant around others and seek their good unless an injustice or an evil performed by others calls him out to cause pain in the form of criticism or correction.

By the end of the episode, Fluttershy returns to this mean (the old Fluttershy), no longer being a pushover who is okay with everything or a “Flutterbitch” who fights everypony over every little thing. As Rarity points out, “You can stand up for yourself without being unpleasant about it,” which is the Element of Generosity’s way of saying that we should be agreeable to others. But what is being agreeable to others other than friendship or a sign of friendship? For friends seek and will the good of one another, and, thus, sometimes it is necessary for a friend to cause another friend pain in the form of disagreement or criticism if that friend should falter in the pursuit of the good, but this is done out of amor amicitiae, the love that is friendship.

Old, amiable Fluttershy returns

Or as Fluttershy tells us in her “Friendship Report” letter to Celestia:

Sometimes it can be hard for a shy pony like me to stand up for myself, and when I first tried it, I didn't like the pony I became. But I've learned that standing up for yourself isn't the same as changing who you are. Now I know how to put my hoof down without being unpleasant, or mean.

Other sources worth noting:

Brian Davies, The Thought of Thomas Aquinas

Peter Kreeft, Back to Virtue

Fluttershy and the Virtue of Friendliness: Part 1

      Putting Your Hoof Down: Character and Plot Overview

Fluttershy

Before I get to the episode, allow me a few words of introduction for the character of Fluttershy. She is timid in temperament and extremely shy. In fact, she frequently seems apologetic for even getting into a conversation (consider the number of times she says “um, excuse me, you wouldn’t mind…”). Overall, she displays an extreme sensitivity in her relations with the other residents of Equestria. Among the Main Six, she exemplifies the Element of Kindness (or good will). She goes out of her way to be agreeable to everypony and to avoid causing offense. Another notable trait is her love of animals. She keeps several pets, including one rather mischievous rabbit ironically named “Angel.” She enjoys singing with the birds.

In short, Fluttershy is a very likable character. In many ways, she reminds me of St. Francis of Assisi, famous for his gentle nature and fondness for animals.

But, of course, Fluttershy is no saint and, like the other Main Six, betrays flaws that sometimes lead to conflict. As I mentioned before, she’s not very brave (even her own shadow sometimes spooks her), the complete opposite of Rainbow Dash, who is daring if not foolhardy. (In Fluttershy’s defense, when pushed to the brink, she unveils her special ability: her stare.)

You wouldn't want to be on the business end of this...

In “Putting your Hoof Down,” FS’s agreeable disposition morphs into the vice of obsequiousness, which she unfortunately attempts to overcome by taking on the opposite extreme of disagreeability. Now, Fluttershy has had a few outbursts before, but these moments were rare. In addition, the short-lived turn to cruelty instead of kindness in “The Return of Harmony” came entirely from Discord’s influence (notice that she didn’t initially fall for his trickery).

                            A Summary of the Plot and Some Random Commentary

The episode begins with Fluttershy in her secluded cottage feeding all her pets – and she does indeed have many pets! She keeps several rabbits, rats, skunks and squirrels, but one rabbit in particular, named “Angel,” is rather close to the yellow pegasus. He’s also a picky eater and the local grub just isn’t cutting it for him, so he demands that Fluttershy make him a special salad with a cherry on top. Since FS doesn’t want Angel “to starve,” she sets out to the marketplace in search of the necessary ingredients.

Angel the Bunny, aka Mr. Picky Pants

Fluttershy isn’t in the marketplace for very long until we start seeing hints of her problem. She’s waiting in line to buy some asparagus and several ponies begin taking advantage of her unfailing politeness to cut in line. Fluttershy isn’t fond of confrontations so she avoids complaining. Then when two valley ponies from somewhere in Las Pegasus spring up as if out of the ground in front of her, Fluttershy finally appears to summon the courage to stand up for herself. But when the valley ponies start talking in their west coast speak about having their “personal space” invaded, FS just backs away.

"And then I was, like, OMC!"

Luckily, just nearby Rarity and Pinkie Pie, two members of the Main Six clique, happen to be hanging out and they watch all the events unfold. Rarity offers some advice, telling Fluttershy to “stop being such a doormat, a pushover.” Both Rarity and Pinkie Pie then start trying to teach by example. Rarity uses her marely charm to convince some skinny nerdy stallion to part with the last asparagus.  Next, Pinkie Pie uses her Bugs Bunny negotiating skills to convince a seller into bringing down the price for tomatoes. Of course, the usefulness of this lesson for Fluttershy is questionable at best, as she hasn’t a clue how to flirt or haggle. Thus, the last cherry eludes her clutches and she returns home to make an incomplete lunch for Angel.

Angel doesn’t take kindly to eating his favorite salad recipe without a cherry and literally kicks both the bowl and Fluttershy out of the house (yeah, he’s like that sometimes). Lying on the ground outside her door, Fluttershy laments her “doormat” status until a letter arrives, advertising an “assertiveness seminar” led by Iron Will.

The Fluttershy Doormat, by Hasbro!

Fluttershy swears an oath to Celestia to stop being a pushover and heads on over to the seminar. After some ponies attending slap her around, FS manages to find a comfortable spot face-first on the ground just behind the large rabble. Iron Will, a minotaur and not a monster, makes a testosterone-charged presentation. He’s Hulk Hogan, Mr. T, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Johnny Bravo and Hercule from Dragon Ball Z all rolled into one! Promising to turn anypony from a doormat into a “lean, mean, assertive machine” and “pitying the fools” who doubt his methods, Iron Will calls out a volunteer from the audience for a demonstration. Fluttershy is the lucky winner and she goes up on stage. One of the goat assistants blocks her path and after unsuccessfully trying to walk around him, Fluttershy gets some encouragement from Iron Will… in the form of a little nudge. FS knocks down the assistant and then proceeds, with IW’s urging, to sort-of harshly criticize him (“um, next time get out of the way!”).

Why would Fluttershy even need "assertiveness training" with smiles that can melt the heart of anypony?

Fluttershy proves a quick study of Iron Will’s techniques and the next morning she is ready “to attack the day.” It doesn’t take long for the “New Fluttershy” to strike. The gardener Mr.Greenhooves overwaters FS’s plants and instead of kindly pointing out his mistake, she gives him “the once over.” Excited by her newfound boldness, Fluttershy heads over to the bridge into Ponyville. Bon-Bon (the mare of a thousand voices) and Cherry Berry block the bridge with their garbage carts and their mule jokes. But when somepony tries to block, the New Fluttershy shows them that she rocks… by dumping trash onto both background ponies!

You're making her angry, you won't like New Fluttershy when she's angry!

Fluttershy, triumphant in the Battle of the Bridge, moves on to Sugarcube Corner, where her friend Pinkie Pie runs the confectionary store. Once again, a pony cuts her in line, but this time, Fluttershy is more forceful in pointing out the injustice. She growls at the mare to get back in line! The offender follows suit as do the rest of the ponies already in front of FS. Now, Fluttershy is first in line! Pinkie Pie and Rarity (who pops in out of some void) are pleased with Fluttershy’s new attitude. But when FS misinterprets Pinkie Pie’s laughter as aimed at her, she takes out her wrath on Pinkamena’s bowl of punch!

Fluttershy leaves and hails a taxi. Yet again, a pony tries to take advantage of Fluttershy by getting in before her (what a day!). But Fluttershy takes what is hers, beats up the stallion and kicks him out. Before leaving, she declares to friends and strangers alike, “Nopony pushes new Fluttershy around!”

Now all of a sudden, Rarity and Pinkie Pie are not so thrilled…

Pinkamena and Rarity are shocked, shocked by New Fluttershy! 

The next morning, Fluttershy is more aggressive such that even her disobedient animals begin to fear her. The day is hers, she says. Nopony is going to take it from her! Not the farsighted mail pony (shades of Derpy), who delivers the wrong letters to FS’s house. For his indiscretion, FS stuffs him into a mailbox. Also feeling the blown fuse of new Fluttershy is a random tourist pony looking for a watchtower landmark, who asks the pegasus for directions. When FS drops a letter into a puddle, she takes out her anger on the tourist, sending him flying into a hay pile.

New Fluttershy is not satisfied with the mail pony...

Pinkie Pie and Rarity finally confront Fluttershy and tell her that she’s taken her assertiveness too far, that they’d like the old, nice Fluttershy back. But FS will not listen and instead accuses her own friends of wanting to push her around like a doormat. She even gives Pinkie Pie and Rarity the most unkindest cut of all (at least as far as this show is concerned), personal insults meant to wound. Pinkamena is the pony of very little brain, partying away her life. Rarity is “petty,” concerned with nothing but fashion.

New Fluttershy takes it out on her friends

Seeing her friends running away crying appears to wake Fluttershy from her unpleasant slumber. “I’m the monster,” she says as she slowly paces back to her cottage in a manner reminiscent of Bruce Banner hitchhiking at the end of The Incredible Hulk episodes from the 70s.

Fluttershy begins to rethink the whole assertiveness idea...

Rarity and Pinkie Pie return later to Fluttershy’s cottage to make amends, but Fluttershy refuses to open the door, afraid that she might turn into the Incredible Hulk again… or perhaps just say more things she will regret later.

But the pair has bigger problems on their hooves as Iron Will shows up to collect payment for his assertiveness training. After attempts to stall by Rarity and Pinkie Pie meet with failure, Fluttershy emerges to face Iron Will. However, instead of surrendering her bits over to the minotaur, FS stands up for herself, this time without the nastiness displayed earlier. She finds a technicality in Iron Will’s promotion she can use: “100% satisfaction guaranteed.” Well, Fluttershy is “not satisfied” with Iron Will’s advice, simple as that. As the minotaur is a rational creature and not really a monster, he can do naught but walk away. Thus, FS saves the day with no broken bones or hurt feelings!

I pity the fool who doesn't get all these references!

Fluttershy apologizes for her rudeness and the trio embrace, still friends. 

P.F.F (Pony Friends Forever!)