The golden mean: mathematical principles and historical significance

Golden Mean

Throughout history, one of the biggest issues that have been perplexing humankind is maintaining balance in everything. Part of the reason for this, is because going to various extremes has been shown to create problems in the lives of individuals. As a result, different philosophers have been focusing on what is known as the golden mean. This is when you are taking the middle road between the various extremes that exist. Once this occurs, is when a person will be able to understand the world around them better by: looking at what is happening and the impact that is having. This is the point that they can make better decisions and understand how to more effectively deal with a wide variety of people. To fully comprehend this concept requires looking at its different views and the way that it can help to improve your overall quality of life. This is when we can see how this approach can help someone to have a sense of fulfillment and happiness about the world around them. (Hans, 1994, pp. 157 -- 275)

The Golden Mean and its uses in Everyday Life

When looking at the golden mean there are different interpretations that have been applied throughout history. The most notable include: the Western and Eastern approaches. While both are very similar, the reality is that there are slight differences in how this philosophy should be applied to everyday life. (Hans, 1994, pp. 157 -- 275) (Marinoff, 2007, pp. 155 -- 167)

The Western Approach

As far as the Western approach is concerned, the idea goes back to ancient Greece. This is when Aristotle and his students began to advocate that everyone should be living their lives by having some kind of balance in all things. The reason why, is because many philosophers saw the real times effects that courage would have on society, an individual and their families. What was happening is some people valued courage above all other virtues in society. On the surface, this is not something that is considered to be negative. Instead, it was seen as a concept that was believed to be very noble about life and its underlying meaning. However, as time went by many people felt that courage should be exercised at all times (even when it was not considered to be a prudent decision). This led to various actions that caused someone to show extreme amounts of courage over everything else. The problem was that this basic approach made the underlying situation worse. As, an individual would risk everything they have to demonstrate this attribute. This is troubling, because it meant that there would be actions taken that could cause even more harm to themselves and their families. Once this took place, it meant that these extreme amounts of behavior had negative impacts on: the community, the individual and those they cared about. (Hans, 1994, pp. 157 -- 275)

As a result, Aristotle believed that everyone should have some kind of balance in all aspects of their life. What he determined, is that someone who engages in either extremes will end up in a no win situation. As, their behavior at one extreme could be viewed as reckless, because of the large amounts of risk they are taking and the potential damage that this could have on their lives. While at the same time, there is the possibility that going to other extremes could be seen as weak minded. Where someone will not have the convictions or follow through to engage in a host of actions that could have an impact on: who they are and the world around them. These different elements are important, because they are showing how this basic approach will have an effect on a host of situations and the way that someone is reacting to them. Those individuals who are embracing this kind of strategy will be able to understand different viewpoints and more effectively relate to everyone they come encounter with. Once this occurs, is when an individual can make better decisions about who they are and the direction they are taking their lives. This is the point that they can make the best decisions by looking at all relevant factors. (Hans, 1994, pp. 157 -- 275)

The Eastern Approach

In both Confucian and Buddhist cultures, they are talking about similar ideas surrounding the role of an individual in addition to the need for balance in their lives. This is accomplished through what is known as the middle road or the middle way theory. Under this approach, an individual should maintain some kind of balance in their lives and the way they are interacting with everyone. This is because these societies realized that someone who does not understand this strategy; will often over emphasize different aspects in their teachings. Over the course of time, this means that they will miss critical elements that could have an effect on who they become and their underlying levels of happiness. (Hans, 1994, pp. 157 -- 275) (Marinoff, 2007, pp. 155 -- 167)