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Analysis: Whose Virtue Compass Is More Valuable?

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Whose Virtue Compass is More Valuable? Let us suppose that there are two individuals who have different levels of internal conflict when faced with a virtue dilemma VD. The first individual, named Easy, when faced with VD does not have a second of hesitation and immediately chooses the more morally correct decision (what the morally correct decision is will depend by what definition of virtue is applied to the situation and will be addressed later in the paper). This first individual Easy is categorized as virtuous according to a virtue ethicist in that he perfectly possesses virtue, and “is often discussed as an ideal which we aim towards, but do not necessarily achieve” (Athanassoulis 2000). As Athanassoulis points out, there are few if any who are truly virtuous (according to virtue ethics), but for the purpose of this paper we will assume that Easy is perfectly virtuous. The second individual, named Struggle, has internal conflict when faced with VD; he debates with himself for a time about what decision to make, but ultimately will make the more morally correct decision, just as Easy did. Struggle represents a person who is continent, rather than virtuous. When Easy and Struggle each independently were faced with VD, both ultimately chose the same, morally correct decision, but their decision-making …show more content…

The virtue compass of an individual can be fluid, changing in reaction to changing beliefs and opinions or experiences. Regardless of the decision that is made in response to VD, the virtue compass of each individual is unique to that person based on their personal experiences, attitudes, beliefs, and thought processes. Thus, Easy and Struggle have different virtue compasses that guide their decision-making process when choosing the more morally correct option for VD and all other virtue

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