Why Has Donald Trump Lost So Much Conservative Support?
Does Trump’s behavior hold a lesson for people outside politics? Trump epitomizes the characteristics that Aristotle posited as the source of misery. In The Nicomachean Ethics, a treatise on human flourishing, Aristotle explained that we all begin life with a tendency toward impulsivity. To lead a virtuous, flourishing life, we must develop the ability to exert self-control. This enables us to stay upright at the “golden mean,” which lies between tempting but dangerous alternatives. Courage is the golden mean between cowardice and rashness; liberality the mean between stinginess and wastefulness; proper pride the mean between insincere humility and vulgarity. Although psychologists generally avoid discussions about the golden mean (here’s an exception), their findings align with Aristotle’s basic thesis about conscientiousness being necessary for flourishing (Ozer & Benet-Martínez, 2006). Although his inherited wealth and its attendant privileges have cushioned him against some harsh consequences, Trump has ultimately come face to face with the tragedy of his impulsivity and generally low conscientiousness. His current attempt at flourishing seems destined to fail because it is obvious to many US voters, but not to him, that he cannot steer his own ship.
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