Virtue Ethics
All along the history of man, there has been that big question of who or what determines what is moral. Ethics started to take shape when man began to question his actions and the reasons surrounding those actions. Am I doing the right thing? How do I know if it is the right? In a bid to explain the different ways in which individuals view morality, ethical theories evolved. There are five main theories; Intuitionism, Consequentialism, Deontological theory, Virtue ethics and Natural law. For the sake of this discussion, I will be focusing on Virtue Ethics. According to Aristotle, a virtue is “a trait of mind and character that helps us achieve a good life”. (Routledge, ND) Aristotle, like his predecessors, Socrates and Plato,
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It assumes that it is by being virtuous that one acts morally thereby becoming better members of the society. This is because one is not prompted merely by duty to the state to do good but by virtues which makes his good actions innate. For instance, a student reporting a bully to the school not out of duty to the school but because of her abhorrence for injustice. Aristotle believed that it is by acting in the right way over and over again that one becomes virtuous. For instance, it is by an individual’s ability to make wise decisions that makes him prudent. If every individual is striving to do what is considered to be the right thing, the society becomes a better place. Who is a virtuous person? This is a question we should all ask ourselves. Aristotle identified virtues based on the characters appreciated by his society that time and studied the ways in which they could be acquired and improved. Therefore, it right to say that the term “virtuous” varies from society to society according to different cultures. For instance, if one is considered virtuous in Ogun state, this does not mean that that same person will be considered virtuous in Imo state because both cultures differ. This simply means that virtue ethics is not
This paper is going to discuss Ethics and Ethical Theories. It will include an introduction to ethical theories, virtue ethics, and care ethics. There will be sections discussing absolutism versus relativism, consequentialism versus deontological ethics, and lastly, free will versus determinism. It will also include a discussion about the study of morality and identify which of the approaches (Scientific, Philosophical, or Theological/Religious) are closest to my own personal beliefs. There will be a discussion regarding the three sources of 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,
Virtue ethics is a normative theory whose foundations were laid by Aristotle. This theory approaches normative ethics in substantially different ways than consequentialist and deontological theories. In this essay, I will contrast and compare virtue ethics to utilitarianism, ethical egoism, and Kantianism to demonstrate these differences. There is one fundamental aspect of virtue ethics that sets it apart from the other theories I will discuss. For the sake of brevity and to avoid redundancy, I will address it separately. This is the fundamental difference between acting ethically within utilitarianism, egoism, and Kantianism. And being ethical within virtue ethics. The other theories seek to define the ethics of actions while virtue ethics does not judge actions in any way. The other theories deal with how we should act, while virtue ethics determines how we should be.
Virtue ethics is a concept that is used in the process of moral decision making. It is dependent on the individuals themselves rather than on society, culture and religion. Aristotle was one of the main philosophers involved in virtue ethics. He was an advocate for virtue. Virtue ethics are associated with the type of person that one should become. It is solely concerned with human nature and morals. This essay will explore Aristotle’s conception of virtue. I will discuss Aristotle’s belief that virtue ethics are vital in achieving the ultimate goal of happiness. I will further consider and examine his theory of the Doctrine of the Mean. Finally, I will explore how Aristotle distinguishes between the two kinds of virtues and this will result
Ethics and virtue have been a very contentious issue facing society for centuries. Many argue over the merits of various theories, each with its own philosophies and assumptions. It is this argument that has given rise to many popular and followed theories of ethics and virtues. The theories discussed primarily in this document include the virtue theory, utilitarianism, and deontological theory. Each is very distinct to the others in regards to its principles and assumptions regarding human behavior. Each however, has merit in regards to question of ethics and virtue, and how it should subsequently be valued.
Virtue Ethics is neither deontological nor teleological, since it is concerned with neither duty nor consequences, but rather the state of the person acting. Aristotle believed that once you are good, good actions will necessarily follow, and this belief is at the centre of Virtue Ethics. Rather than defining good actions, Virtue Ethics looks at good people and the qualities that make them good. The non-normative theory, although very effective in determining the morality of individuals, is particularly flawed when applied to whole societies. This weakness is largely due to its imprecision and abstraction; however, before these weaknesses can be considered, it is necessary to give an account of the theory itself.
The philosophy of virtue ethics, which primarily deals with the ways in which a person should live, has puzzled philosophers from the beginning of time. There are many contrasting interpretations regarding how one should live his or her life in the best way possible. It is in my opinion that the Greeks, especially Aristotle, have exhibited the most logical explanation of how to live the "good life". The following paper will attempt to offer a detailed understanding of Aristotle's reasoning relating to his theory of virtue ethics.
What is Aristotle’s virtue ethics theory exactly? Aristotle was one of the first to describe this type of theory and he based it largely on Eudaimonism. “Eudaimonism bases virtues in human flourishing, where flourishing is equated with performing one’s distinctive function well” (Virtue Ethics). For humans, Aristotle believed that our main function is reasoning and to “live well” we would need to reason well. The largest part of virtue ethics is the titular “virtues” that decide whether or not a person was truly flourishing or not.
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
Virtue ethics is a theory that usually has a role of character and virtue in the world of moral philosophy rather than either doing one’s duty or acting in order to bring about good consequences. In some article they said that some people that give professional advice about moral are called virtue ethicist. When talking about virtue ethics theories, you need to understand that it came from Aristotle who declared that, “a virtuous person is someone who has ideal character traits.” He also said that these traits are originated from natural internal tendencies, but need to be cherished; however, once established, they will become stable.
“I would rather be a good man than a great king” said the character Thor in Thor: The Dark World. In these words we find a frightening tension. Almost everyone agrees that it is good to be ethical; this is an easy affirmation. It is much more difficult, though, when ethics is in direct opposition to success. This dichotomy- between ethics and success- will no doubt confront an engineer during a professional career of any substantial length. Can you say that you would rather be a good man than rich? Or popular? Or a successful engineer? What should happen when an engineer faces this question? One real world example that can shed some light on this problem is what is known as bid shopping. This essay will provide a thorough definition of the problem of bid shopping and the ethical dilemma surrounding it. It will then apply the ethical theories of Duty Ethics and Virtue Ethics to the question. And seek to show that bid shopping is unethical according to both ethical theories.
Virtue, when I hear that word I think of value and morality and only good people can be virtuous. When I hear the word ethics I think of good versus evil, wrong and right. Now when the two are put together you get virtue ethics. You may wonder what can virtue ethics possibly mean. It’s just two words put together to form some type of fancy theory. Well this paper will discuss virtue ethics and the philosophy behind it.
you ask what the virtues are, it is likely you would be told that we
Aristotle came up with the virtue theory. The virtue theory, on the other hand, states that an action is moral if it is what virtuous being would do. In this way, less emphasis is placed upon specific rules or laws that clearly define moral actions, and more is placed on what constitutes a good person. Although there is not a clear line in the virtue theory of what is rational and what is not, it is `often up to common sense to determine what is an admirable trait and what is not. A virtuous person does not let their emotions control them and inhibit them from doing what they know to be right. This part is important: their heart must be in the right place at all times. there should be no difference between what they should do and what they want to do. Examining right is wrong in terms of the virtue theory is often very cumulative in the sense that an individual action is judged based on whether or not it contributes to overall mortality. actions in general arent really the main focus. actions are a representation of ones overall
There are many different theories of right and wrong, and these viewpoints have been expressed and discussed for eons. Among these theories are the virtue theory, the theory of utilitarianism, and deontological theory. All of these theories are normative in nature in that they seek to describe what a person should or should not do to be morally correct. Though they have that in common, they also have distinct differences in ideology that separate them from one another regarding virtue, values, and moral concepts.