Virtue Theory. I.Ethics/Virtue Theory As It Applies To

According to Nicomachean Ethics, Arisotle aims to identify the highest good for human beings. While most people believe the highest good is the accumulation of material worth, pursuit of honor or satisfaction of bodily pleasure, he argues all of these are deficient of the highest good in some way. Individuals who commit insider trading would likely value material wealth above all else, even up to the extent of risking their entire career for it. However, material wealth is always acquired for the purpose of attaining something else, and thus falls short for Aristotle’s perceived highest good. Instead, he argues that the good life for a human being would focus on contemplation and learning, or acquiring the intellectual virtues. Aristotle associates the intellectual virtues with what we might understand today as scientific knowledge. But just obtaining the intellectual virtues is not enough, and we can see what type of individuals may result from this limited mindset after reading previous cases of insider trading starring talented businessmen who suddenly take a greedy, wrong turn into corruption. Aristotle claims that in addition to possessing intellectual virtues, the person who lives a good life also acts rightly and develops the appropriate state of character

Business Ethics is a set of moral principles applied in the commercial world. Business ethics provide guidelines for acceptable behavior by organizations in both their strategy formulation and day-to-day operations. An ethical approach is becoming necessary both for corporate success and a positive corporate image. Following pressure from

As the main idea of book three—moral virtue, Aristotle starts his discussion from point out the issue of moral responsibility, which can be considered as a basis of moral virtue, because if a man cannot be responsible for the action he did, then theoretically the discussion is superfluous. For example, the person was carried by the wind; then his behavior does not have any moral significance. Therefore, Aristotle wants to make a distinction between the voluntary actions and the involuntary actions, that is, for the moral responsibility to draw a piece of their territory, as a basis to talk about other

Within the Nicomachean Ethics, ethics is not merely a theoretical endeavor for Aristotle. Unlike any theoretical capacities, ethical action or virtuous character deals with a inculcated idea of what is right and that repetitive right action in similar situations. Thus, according to Aristotle, Ethics is an intensely practical pursuit which cannot be obtained solely through theoretical wisdom. For Aristotle, the best way to pursue and achieve the good is to employ theoretical wisdom with practical wisdom in order to achieve the best possible outcome in relation to the immediate situation and our greater world. Theoretical wisdom is concerned with the overarching themes, knowledge of any specific topic or scientific knowledge.

Which differed from the view towards moral virtues which according to Aristotle are about doing the greater good and being a better person by learning from mistakes and doing what feels right naturally. (http://www.angelfire.com/md2/timewarp/ethics.html)

Aristotle’s view on virtue is that there are two kinds of virtue; intellectual and moral. Intellectual virtue is taught while moral virtues come from habit (Ross). Aristotle compares virtue to being produce and destroyed. He compares it to craftsmen. You can have a good builder and a bad builder, a good piano player and a bad piano player. This is determined if you build well or build poorly, and if you play the piano well or bad. He says this relates to virtue. The acts that we perform, good or bad, will determine if we are a good person or a bad person. We can be a just person with how we interact with others, while we can also be an unjust person. This also relates with fear and appetite (Ross). All things are destroyed due to either an excess or a deficiency. Aristotle uses virtues to explain this. With courage, if a person flees on site than he or she is a coward, while if the person is not afraid of anything he or she is being

He likewise trusted that the particular sorts of practices are found out and created after some time through practice too until the ethicalness turns into a characteristic and typical part of an individual's intellectual procedure and usage (THEORIES OF ETHICS - School of Education - Syracuse University., n.d.).. It was Aristotle’s belief that in order to resolve ethical issues in a morally, justified way, a person must abide by virtues that are decent (Rachels & Rachels,

The virtue ethics approach is a theory that suggests that people are judged via their character, not specific actions. An individual who has developed good character traits (virtues) is judged as a morally good person. An individual who has developed bad character traits (vices) is judged as a morally bad person. Most of us have a mixture or virtues and vices. There are many pros and cons linked to this approach. The pros include

Aristotle would be concerned with ethics being a way to live a good life. He would be concerned with Dr. Johnson’s moral character. While Aristotle would argue for the moderate form of the virtues he would agree that there are some times that this would not be the best choice. “In the face of injustice or acts of violence against innocent others, the morally correct response may not be at all ‘moderate.’ That’s why Aristotle considered ‘righteous indignation’ a virtue.” (Teays, 2015, pg. 102). While Dr. Johnson may face the consequences of losing his career, “Aristotle would say, ‘Focus on what kind of person you want to be and what intellectual and moral traits are required to get there.’” (Teays, 2015, pg. 103). He also

The moral ethics and value of a person and his or her character is the emphasis of virtue oriented theory. It focuses on moral character of an individual. As Edge & Groves stated (2006), the behavior of an individual with certain moral characteristics will play itself out in doing what is right in the end. For example, if a person has always been conscience of being and doing good, when they are face with a dilemma their decisions will in the end be considered right since being a good person has always been a priority.

Aristotle, in the Nicomachean Ethics, asserts that every ethical virtue aims at what is noble. In order to establish his definition of nobility, Aristotle takes the example of the virtue of courage. This virtue aims at what is noble, namely the common good, and this noble end is reached through courageous acts done by a brave man. There is a direct relationship between becoming good and loving what is noble. In order to become a good person, one must be conditioned to love what is noble and hate what is ignoble. This person will develop the proper character and be able to perform virtuous acts. One cannot become good without reverence for nobility. Furthermore, there also is a direct relationship between ethics and what is noble. Ethics

Virtue Theory also encourages use to not be self-center, through personal virtues. Selflessness is a highly desired virtue, unfortunately a virtue that although many have, many lack as well. The one think that sets Virtue ethics apart from Kantian ethics, is that it is based on your character. It is not about obligations, and not every situation is equal. Like the example given in the class slides, a Kantian would not lie if someone came in looking for someone that they were trying to kill, simply because you do not "know" what may happen. It is quite clear what is about to happen and if you tell them where that person is, you are putting their life in danger. Now what if you lied about where that person was and sent the "bad guy" in the opposite

Virtue ethics is a theory that focuses on character development and what virtues one should obtain to be who they are supposed to be, as oppose to actions. An example of virtue ethics would be someone who is patient, kind, loving, generous, temperance, courage and flourishing as oppose to a person who lies, cheats, and

According to Holland (2011) there are few criticisms of virtue ethics. First, virtue ethics is really complicated and multiple varieties of the theory of virtue ethics exist. Hence a single summary of VE cannot completely do justice to this theory and the complexity it encompasses. Second, as VE is attempted to be used on more specific cases and is tried to be made more concise, the theory tends to become more inaccurate. The article further suggests the needs for a more comprehensive and specific explanation of virtue ethics. Although there are criticisms of virtue ethics, there are positive remarks about it as well. Stephen (2011) cites McDougall, according to whom, virtue ethics might be the best way to think about and approach

I will be discussing what makes a person moral or just according to Aristotle. In addition, I will talk about what Aristotle believes is the explanation and cause for bad moral choices. In order to answer these questions, however, we must first learn about how Aristotle approached philosophy. Aristotle was a student of Plato, and as one might expect, he is a virtue theorist much like his mentor. This means that he emphasizes virtues and moral character and that the best way to resolve moral questions is by focusing on the moral agent. However, unlike Plato who is a rationalist, Aristotle is an empiricist. Since he is an empiricist, he uses his senses to first to observe the world, then later uses reason to understand it. It is because of these two reasons that he will develop his definition of a moral and just person which to him is someone who follows the Golden Mean. The Golden Mean is the cornerstone of Aristotle’s entire argument of what makes a person just and it is defined as the idea that all actions have a middle ground that lie in a mean and that virtue is this mean which lies between two extremes. The first step in understanding exactly what the Golden Mean is, and thus determining what makes a person virtuous, is to look at what makes up the basis of the Golden Mean: happiness.