Character is defined by desire and backward reasoning toward action.
Evidence
In fact, the territory of a character’s mind is most likely to be the center of the action. Aristotle says that a man “is his desire,” that is, his character is defined by his ultimate purpose, good or bad. Thought, says Aristotle, is the process by which a person works backward in his mind from his goal to determine what action he can take toward that goal at a given moment. — Janet Burroway; Elizabeth Stuckey-French; Ned Stuckey-French, Writing Fiction, Tenth Edition, 251
Categorization
- DEFINE: Clarifies Aristotle’s concept that a person is his desire and thought is backward reasoning from goal to action.
- XREF: connects to: A person’s avoidances can reveal character more than actions do — Karl Ove Knausgaard, A Death in the Family, 1314; Ultimate motives work backward to justify immediate actions. — Janet Burroway; Elizabeth Stuckey-French; Ned Stuckey-French, Writing Fiction, Tenth Edition: A Guide…, 252; Intended goals reflect human operator desires even if poorly articulated, functioning as ideal ‘wishes’ — What is AI alignment?
Related
- Ultimate motives work backward to justify immediate actions. (similarity 0.79)
Broader Connections
- Ultimate motives work backward to justify immediate actions.
#corroborates(0.80) — Janet Burroway; Elizabeth Stuckey-French; Ned Stuckey-French, Writing Fiction, Tenth Edition, 252 - A person’s avoidances can reveal character more than actions do
#qualifies(0.60) — Karl Ove Knausgaard, A Death in the Family, 1314