hexis. So according to Aristotle, a "hexis" is a type of "disposition" (diathesis) which he in turn describes in the same as follows... And specifically it is the type of disposition "in virtue of which (kath' ho) the thing which is disposed is disposed well or badly, and either independently or in relation to something else". The wording "in virtue of which" was also described in the same passage... In Aristotle then, a hexis is an arrangement of parts such that the arrangement might have excellence, being well arranged, or in contrast, might be badly arranged. Also see Aristotle's Categories viii where a hexis ("habit" in the translation of Edghill) is contrasted with a disposition (diathesis) in terms of it being more permanent and less easy to change. The example given is "knowledge" (epistemē). In perhaps the most important case, Aristotle contrasted hexis with energeia (in the sense of activity or operation) at Nicomachean Ethics I.viii.1098b33 and Eudemian Ethics II.i.1218b. The subject here was eudaimonia, the proper aim of human life, often translated as "happiness" and hexis is contrasted with energeia (ἐνέργεια) in order to show the correctness of a proposed definition of eudaimonia - "activity (ἐνέργεια) in conformity with virtue" Happiness Happiness then, is an , but virtue of character (often translated as "moral virtue") is made up of . Happiness is said to deserve honoring like the divine if it actually achieved, while virtue of character, being only a potential achievement, deserves praise but is lower. New Testament ...and defined in the Strong's concordance... References Bibliography Concepts in ancient Greek metaphysics Greek Muses Philosophy of Aristotle Theories in ancient Greek philosophy