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The Ethics Of The Encyclopedia Of Philosophy

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The methodology I find myself basing most of my decisions off of is aretology, also referred to as virtue ethics. Aretology is defined by Lovin as “a system of thinking about ethics that centers on virtues.” Unlike deontology and teleology, which only focus on either rules or goals, aretology combines both rules and goals making it a good basis for ethical decisions.
The Stanford of Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines virtue ethics as an ethical approach “that emphasizes the virtues, or moral character, in contrast to the approach which emphasizes duties or rules (deontology) or that which emphasizes the consequences of actions (consequentialism).” Additionally, The Stanford of Encyclopedia of Philosophy gives an example of a virtue ethicist by saying that a virtuous person will help someone in need because it is charitable and contributes to the good of society.
The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy gives a very similar definition that says that areteology is “a broad term for theories that emphasize the role of character and virtue in moral philosophy rather than either doing one’s duty or acting in order to bring about good consequences.” The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy also says that aretology was inspired by Aristotle, who said that a virtuous person would have ideal character traits, which begin as instincts and are then established after gaining personal experience. Lovin goes on to give Aristotle’s definition of a virtue, which is “a pattern of behavior

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