---
title: "Aristotle's Golden Mean: Virtue Ethics Explained"
description: "Aristotle's Doctrine of the Golden Mean defines virtue as a rational balance between excess and deficiency, crucial for ethics in Model UN and policy research."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/aristotle-golden-mean"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- Aristotle's Doctrine of the Golden Mean holds that moral virtue lies in a rational intermediate between two vices, one of excess and one of deficiency.
- Is the Golden Mean an arithmetic average of two extremes?
- How does the Golden Mean differ from Kantian and utilitarian ethics?
- Do all actions have a virtuous mean?
- Why is the Golden Mean relevant to civil services and public administration?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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