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Five Theories Of Virtue Ethics

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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, …show more content…

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

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