Aristotle's Theory Of Virtue Ethics

Fractal Entertainment has requested the creation of this project in order to keep their employees informed and up to date on professional bodies relevant to them, current legislations, code of conducts and the current issue of ethics in computing. In this project I am to provide in depth insight to the topics mentioned, and to provide accurate information for the benefit of the staff at Fractal Entertainment.

Aristotle’s work, The Nicomachean Ethics, consists of numerous books pertaining to Aristotle’s Ethics—the ethics of the good life. The first book discloses Aristotle’s belief on moral philosophy and the correlation between virtue and happiness.

In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle discusses about the concept of good: the existence of multiple goods rather than a single, universal good; the highest good to mankind being happiness; the varying interpretations of happiness among men; etc. In defining what happiness is not however, Aristotle discusses about the concept of honor and its inequivalence to genuine happiness, despite contrary belief. And in doing so, he establishes the motif of action versus inaction when describing the best ways to achieve happiness, heavily favoring action against inaction.

In each of the discussions, we were confronted with the ethicality of people or processes. Prior to the advent of wide spread information technology, these situations would have been more easily addressed, categorized, and concealed. This technology has allowed us to share information around the world, but it has also released information beyond our ability to control it. Now our privacy, property, quality of life, work and personal lives are vulnerable because of inadequate laws and unethical entities.

1. In light of Aristotle’s analysis of virtue and/or Plato’s analysis of virtue, what would be, in your view, four core Canadian moral virtues? Give a short explanation for your choices

In Book I of Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle states that the ultimate human goal or end is happiness. Aristotle then describes steps required for humans to obtain the ultimate happiness. He also states that activity is an important requirement of happiness. A virtuous person takes pleasure in doing virtuous things. He then goes on to say that living a life of virtue is something pleasurable in itself. The role of virtue to Aristotle is an important one, with out it, it seems humans cannot obtain happiness. Virtue is the connection one has to happiness and how they should obtain it. My goal in this paper is to connect Aristotle’s book of Nicomachean Ethics to my own reasoning of self-ethics. I

Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics is a reflection as to what virtue is. Aristotle’s definition of virtue can be described as the as the “state of character concerned with choice, lying in a mean relative to us, this being determined by reason and by that reason by which the man of practical wisdom would determine it” (Nicomachean Ethics, 31). In addition to that, Aristotle illustrates two types of virtue that stem from his primary idea; moral and intellectual virtue. Aristotle expounds moral virtue as actualizing from habit, in which the virtue cannot arise naturally, for the fact that nothing can form a habitual habit that contrasts from its nature. For instance, the example of the fire; it is impossible to teach the fire to burn downwards,

Prior to the age of technology, ethics include the moral decisions made by individuals relative to the social and the acceptable norms of the time. Ethics, more specifically, computer ethics have developed due to advancements of IT. Information technologies were initially established as reliable means of communication and exchanging information in an efficient and effective manner; but they have intertwined into various aspects of our society and become so much more. These technologies have created a place to discover friendships, find love, socially gather and, etc.

Aristotle wrote the first book ever written about ethics titles “The Nicomachean Ethics,” and it is still one of the greatest and most influential. Its purpose is to teach us to be virtuous rather than to understand what virtue is. (Aristotle, 2009)

This paper was prepared for Social Issues in Computing, CSCE 4010, Section 1, taught by Ian Brooks.

Aristotle describes human nature and its role in a person 's morality. It is explained that something 's nature pertains to its “performance of its particular function.”(278) Determining what makes something good or bad however is determined through virtue. To be able to even begin to understand the complexity behind human nature, one must first learn an object 's nature before learning its virtue, as what makes one thing good or bad doesn 't make another object the same way. To understand its nature we must know its function as previously stated, from there we are able to accurately describe its virtues. One example that can be used is a computer. It is

According to Professor Koteski, “Aristotle used a “biological” model in his approach to ethics.” His search for common components in the lives of different individuals attempted to define what led to excellence in the life of those individuals and in the life of a community. This shaped Aristotle teleological worldview as he thought that determining natural purposes was the path to the most fundamental principles in governing the people or the city. Virtue is a state that decides, consisting in a mean relative to us, defined by reference to reason, it is a mean between excess and deficiency. Therefore, it is my option that Aristotle would explain to Meno that virtue could be a result of nature, practice, and could also be taught.

In Donald Gotterbarn's article, "Informatics and Professional Responsibility," he argues that "although informatics has been undergoing a rapid development, there has been no corresponding development in the concept of responsibility as it applies to computing practitioners" (107). Gotterbarn believes that computer professionals should be perfect and are responsible for any effects caused by their coding. I disagree with Gotterbarn on this matter. In this essay, I will show that Gotterbarn's thoughts and beliefs on professional responsibility in computer ethics are unreasonable and therefore should not be applied.

SECTION II. ARISTOTLE: In Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle’s moral theory with connections resulting in responsibility, practical reasoning, and choice, are the central focuses of the opinion of ethicality. For one to live a fulfilling life is to live a good life- one full of activity- and not possessed by the worth of a person. Ones activities that are in accordance to ethical virtues are appropriate realizations to which are readily characterized towards good activities. Though the good of a person does not only reside in the behavior, but the behavior of the certain character. In Book

There has been a legitimate distinction between the moral and ethical views behind computer scientists being responsible for the action that they take upon the problems that they can face from the systems that they design. They must be faced with the codes of ethics and the morality issues in order to acknowledge the user about the responsibility that they must encounter in order for the use of technology. In the case of the technological society, the IT technology must include security measures to avoid hacking and to be in line with legislations since it’s an important factor towards moral responsibilities. Several issues have been identified as a result to whether computer scientists perform their job role correctly or not. The failure to not meeting the correct responsibilities of their job could result in computer scientists exposing the perception of moral and ethical principles to the audience and the society incorrectly. The lack of effective analogy forces can discover the publicizing and anticipation with negative views and so shows the immoral aspects. Whereas, other evidence could should morality since it can help the community and society into developing and taking technology positively to a further level.