Aristotle's Virtue Ethics

Aristotle outlined his theory of Virtue Ethics in his book Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle focused his idea of ethics on agents rather than acts. His main idea is focused on the idea of human character- how can you be a better person? In fact, Aristotle once said: “For we are enquiring not in order to know what virtue is, but in order to become good, since otherwise our enquiry would be of no use.” Aristotle is given the credit for developing the idea of virtue ethics, but many of Plato's cardinal values influenced his ideas. Virtue Ethics is focused on the person's actions, not the consequences of that action. Aristotle believed if you had good moral values, then your actions would be "good" in theory. Rather than defining good actions,

            Virtues are usually taught through the eyes of the wise, also known as the elder. In the book The Lakota Way, by Joseph M. Marshall III, his tribe teaches virtues though story telling. The virtues of the Lakota tribe and those of my family are more similar then I had anticipated, although we do have our differences.

The responsibilities and actions of man in a society has long been debated. Though, often it is agreed that a man ought to be virtuous in society to better play his role in making that society operate smoothly. So, if a man ought to be virtuous, what should these virtues be? The perception of virtues has changed numerous times throughout different societies to suit their religious or honorable mindset. For example, the roman ideals of virtue wouldn’t necessarily correspond with the Christian ideals, and Christian ideals are still even different from say Buddhist and Islamic ideals. Through these, however, we begin to see a common ground that was gradually established by philosophers which shares many of the same ideas. These ideas were

ABSTRACT: The term "virtue" has traditionally been used to designate morally good character traits such as benevolence, charity, honesty, wisdom, and honor. Although ethicists do not commonly offer a definitive list of virtues, the number of virtues discussed is often short and their moral significance is clear. Hume's analysis of the virtues departs from this tradition both in terms of the quantity of virtues discussed and their obvious moral significance. A conservative estimate of the various virtues Hume refers to in his moral writings would put the number at around seventy, with the more untraditional ones including wit, good manners, and dialog. Unsurprisingly, Hume's critics have attacked

Virtue theorists simply argue that developing morally desirable virtues for their own sake will help aid moral actions when such decisions need to be

A misunderstanding starts when extracting virtues from the human characters. Meno, defines quite a number of human virtues, but

“We are born with a faculty of moral intuition, giving rise to feelings that correspond with moral character of events. Our faculty of intuition can be developed and clarified, but it can also become clouded selfish desire. We all have a disposition to virtue, but we must protect and cultivate our intuition to make our feelings good guides to what is right.” (2.2 Pg. 46). This quote explains how Mencius argues that we are born with virtues and they develop.

Aristotle believes that there are two kinds of virtue, one being intellectual and the other being moral virtue. He states that Intellectual virtue comes from being taught meaning we’re not born with it. Moral virtue on the other hand we develop as we grow and gain an understanding of life. “The stone which by nature moves downwards cannot be habituated to move upwards, not even if one tries to train it by throwing it up ten thousand times” (N.E. II.1) Right there he is talking about how if you are designed to do one thing, it is impossible to do the opposite no matter how hard you force it. He talks about how we gain our virtues by practicing them and using them on a regular basis. That is how we learn

Because of this nature, reasoning then leads man to quest for happiness, and happiness is found in moral virtues. As stated, moral virtue is the ability to contemplate actions or rather the ability to reflect on one’s actions, their knowledge and thoughts through them.

Aristotle found that there are two kinds of virtues of the soul. First, there are virtues of thought, such as wisdom. Next, there are virtues of character, such as generosity. The main focus of his virtue ethics lies in the virtues of character. Aristotle assumed that these virtues are learned through habit. For example, whereas intellectual virtue may arise from reading a book, the adoption of virtuous character is inherited solely by practice. Therefore, it is through a person's upbringing that moral virtues are cultivated, and it is through the habit of thinking virtuously that one can excel towards happiness.

An early Greek notion of virtue ethic different from some specific issues but at the same time, there were issues on the moral character which seemed to be very similar. Most of the great Greek thinkers believed that in order for a sound decision to be made and what actions to be taken in different situations, requires a person who possesses good morals

So as a society, made up of a million micro-gears, we must work together to move together as a whole. To do this we need moral virtues to help control ourselves as a whole. One example of what we must try and control is our desires. Desires are a reason for having moral virtues, as it can help to

In our society today, we are mostly challenged by two questions: ‘is it right to do this or that? And ‘how should I be living in society?’(Bessant, 2009). Similar questions were greatly discussed in the history by our ancestors in their philosophical discussions. The most ancient and long-lasting literature on moral principles and ethics were described by Greek philosopher Aristotle. He had an excellent command on various subjects ranging from sciences to mathematics and philosophy. He was also a student of a famous philosopher. His most important study on ethics, personal morality and virtues is ‘The Nicomachean Ethics’, which has been greatly influencing works of literature in ethics and heavily read for centuries, is believed to be

In Book II of the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle discusses the idea of moral virtue. Aristotle emphasized the importance of developing moral virtue as the way to achieve what is finally more important, human flourishing (eudaimonia). Aristotle makes the argument in Book II that moral virtue arises from habit—equating ethical character to a skill that is acquired through practice, such as learning a musical instrument. However in Book III, Aristotle argues that a person 's moral virtue is voluntary, as it results from many individual actions which are under his own control. Thus, Aristotle confronts us with an inherently problematic account of moral virtue.

Virtue Ethics is developed through training, by being repeatedly exposed to demonstrations of decent behavior within families and communities. According to (Halbert/Ingulli