Aristotelian Sophrosyne in the Digital Landscape: A Re-examination

There has been a renewed interest in the study of virtues and virtue ethics, and many modern virtue ethicists have acknowledged that traditional virtues differ from contemporary ones.This study, then, reexamines the virtue of sophrosyne, or self-control, given the context of digital technologies.This study critiques the traditional scope of the virtue by using the concept of the unity of the senses.Likewise, this study argues that the scope of sophrosyne, originally discussed by Aristotle, can be extended to other objects of pleasure and not necessarily those that appeal to the senses of taste and touch, i.e., the traditional objects of pleasure.Consequently, this study claims that there are modern objects of pleasure such as mobile gadgets and social media applications.An examination of this virtue in the digital context is vital, as one can easily become self-indulgent with respect to these modern objects.