Virtue Ethics

Virtue Ethics• What makes a good person based

on their qualities or virtues.• It is agent centred morality rather

than act centred – asks “what sort of person ought I to be?”

• Virtue can sound old fashion but the Greek word ‘Arête’ means EXCELLENCE.

Plato• Being Virtuous is the achievement of

man’s highest good• Right cultivation of the soul• Happiness gained through pursuing virtues • Temperance, courage, wisdom and justice

(Cardinal Virtues) are the central virtues• These virtues work together: not enough

to have just one alone.• When these virtues are in balance = good

person.

Aristotle• Central philosopher of virtue ethics• Final end of human activity is to achieve

happiness – eudaimonia (human flourishing)

• Discusses the character traits of a person going to achieve eudaimonia.

• Virtues which shape human character and ultimately human behaviour – agent centred

• Aretaic Ethics – based on excellence of person’s character

Intellectual/ Moral virtues• Intellectual virtues: training/ education• To become virtuous is like playing a musical

instrument = needs teaching and practise• Moral Virtues: habit.• E.g. habit of being generous rather than just being

told to be generous• All people have the potential to develop moral and

intellectual virtues only a few actually achieve this.

• Depends on social factors: where brought up and live.

• Eudaimonia is reached when someone uses their reason well

• REASON is the supreme human virtue.• Reason is practical and involves both

understanding and responding.

Golden Mean• Virtue is to be found in the Golden Mean• This involves finding the balance between two means• This is best way to live in society as extremes of character

are unhelpful• Virtues are to be found between two vices• Both involves a deficiency and excess• Mean is not the same for everyone and depends on

circumstance.• You need to apply phronesis (practical wisdom) to decide

on right course of action• Phronesis is acquired as we grow up and move away from

rules and the demands of authority figures to a more autonomous, person centred and virtue centred morality.

Virtuous People

• Virtue acquired through doing.• One way to learn how to be virtuous is to

follow the example of virtuous people.• Watching others and imitating them = best

way to learn.• Jesus, Gandhi, Socrates, Nelson Mandela

possible examples of moral excellence.• Not all ‘perfect people’ but they challenge us

to go beyond the minimum – to aspire to ‘moral heights’ to see what can be achieved.

Anscombe• G.E.M. Anscombe published paper (1958)

‘Modern Moral Philophy.’• Modern moral philosophy misguided• Ethics often based on moral laws set down by

God – but what do right and wrong mean with out a lawgiver?

• She suggests that the idea of eudaimonia does NOT need lawgiver.

• Both Kantian Ethics and Utilitarianism do not depend on God but they are still act based and ignore the person who acts

• Act based ethics do not make sense because ignores a belief people no longer hold.

Philippa Foot• Modernise Aristotle's Virtue Ethics whilst maintaining

Arstolian understanding of character and virtue.• Make the world a better place (one of the founders of

Oxfam)• Importance of person’s own reasoning• Virtues benefit individual by leading to flourishing • Virtuous person does far more than conform to the

conventions of society. (E.g. Rosa Parks/ Oscar Schindler)

• A Virtue is not a virtue if is used to a bad end e.g. honesty to hurt someone’s feelings or courage to kill someone.

• If the virtues are beneficial to individuals and community – they contribute to a good life.

MacIntyre• Book ‘After Virtue’• Ethical theories resulted in ethical disagreements• Now people believe there are no moral truths• He believes that today’s attitudes based on Emotivism:

moral statements are not true or false but simple express the feelings and attitudes of speaker.

• Wants to restore idea that morality should be seen in terms of human purpose

• Virtues improve and evolve over time• Different societies have different values. • For example: Difference between Homeric virtues

(strength, courage, honour) and Aristotelian ( courage, justice, temperance)

• “any virtue which sustain the households and communities in which men and women seek for good together.”

Rosalind Hursthhouse• Virtues are virtues if they help that

person reach eudaimonia• So living a good life is a good thing for a

human being• Virtuous person's practical reasoning

shapes characteristics rather than simple actions or attitudes.

• Being virtuous is most reliable path to flourishing

Michael Slote• Based on common sense ideas and intuitions about

what counts as a virtue.• Prefers to use word ‘admirable’ to describe an action

rather than ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ which need qualifying and explaining.

• Virtue “an inner trait or disposition of the individual.”

Made a distinction between;• Agent focused: what it is to be a virtuous person/ inner

dispositions (Aristotelian Ethics.)• Agent based: evaluate actions according to inner life

and motive of people that do such actions. We can identify virtues like compassion by looking at people we admire = role models.

Benjamin Franklin

• Utilitarian Virtue Theorist• Try to bring greatest good for the

greatest number • Best way to bring about the

greatest good by developing virtues.

Strengths• Avoids use of a formula (e.g. hedonic calculus) to work

out what we ought to do and focuses instead on what kind of person ought I be

• Distinguishes between people that are good and people that just follow the law.

• Motivating people to be good• Stresses importance of education in showing that good

can be taught/ learnt• Involves our entire lives – whole life process• Even mundane opportunities gives us chance to

practise virtues• Every aspect of our lives is involved e.g. family, friends,

community, emotions, responsibilities – so is more intune with how people react in ethical dilemmas.

Weaknesses• How do we identify virtues?• Are virtues culturally relative?• How can virtue ethics be applied to moral dilemmas?

Robert Louden argues that virtue ethics does not help people facing a crisis because no clear set rules for action.

• Virtue ethics does not give us concrete answers so is hard to apply to situations like : stem cell research or abortion.

• Virtue ethics seems to praise some virtues that we might see as immoral e.g. soldier fighting unjust wars may be courageous but not morally good.

• Louden also points out that it is difficult to decide who is virtuous, as acts which appear virtuous on the outside may not necessarily have good motives