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WhatRepresentedtheTempleoftheCharites?Reciprocity,
GratitudeandJusticeintheAristotelianEthics
InoneofthechaptersofBookVofNicomacheanEthicsdevotedtothecon-
ceptofmutualreciprocity(toantipeponthos),Aristotleclaimsthatreciprocity
(aboveallfortheservicereceived,butperhapsalsofortheharmsuffered)is
aconditionofmaintainingthenationalcommunity.Therefore,hesays:“This
iswhytheygiveaprominentplacetothetempleoftheGraces–topromote
therequitalofservices;forthisischaracteristicofgrace–weshouldserve
inreturnonewhohasshowngracetous,andshouldanothertimetakethe
initiativeinshowingit”
29
.AGreeknamecharis,whomtheCharitesowe
theirname,canmeaneitherserviceorgratitude.Theabove-quotedsentence
appears,however,inhisbookonjustice,whichasafundamentofspecial
socialdutiesismostoftendistinguishedfromgratitude.Hence,aquestion
ariseswhatrelationisestablishedbetweenthreevirtues:reciprocity,grat-
itudeandjusticeappearinginAristotle’swork.Inotherwords,whatthe
meaningofthisdutyof“reciprocity”(antapodosis)was,whichwasbeing
referredtowhileerectingthetempleoftheCharitesinaprominentplace?
29Aristotle,350B.C.E.,NicomacheanEthics,trans.W.D.Ross.,http://
classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.5.v.html
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