5.1b Deontology- Aristotelian Virtue ethics Flashcards
What are deontological ethics?
- Looks as actions made with good intentions
- If intention good then action good
- Absolutist approach
What are teleological ethics?
- Focuses the result and effects of the action to determine whether it was a goods action
What is virtue ethics definition?
- Focuses on the person rather than the action or consequences
- Aristotle believed in the need to develop our virtues and the need to grow and learn, to find balance in life between work and play
- We must use our reason to develop our virtues
What is Ergon?
- Function
- Arisotle beleved we had a function that went beyond the one prescribed to us by society
- our function was the key to Eudaimonia
What is Arete?
- Virtue
- Also means excellence, the attributes or qualities which allow something to fulfil their function
What is Eudaimonia?
- Flourishing
- Ultimate goal in life, flourishing, living well, achieving your goals and doing well in life (not hedonism- e.g George best rich but not fulfilled)
What is the Golden mean?
also called doctrine of the mean
- The happy medium
- Avoid the extremes of over-reacting or failing. Don’t break down but don’t pretend you’re not sad
- Must consider the most appropriate thing to do in the situation
- achievable balance
- The virtue is the middle point between deficiency and excess
What is Phronesis?
- Practical wisdom
- The intellectual virtue of practicing wisdom to decipher how to develop
What does Phillipa foot think of virtue ethics?
- Supports it
- Very critical of duty based ethics wants to return to ethics which advocates virtue
- Believes a virtue is only virtuous if used to fulfil Eudaimonia e.g loyalty that is used for bad is not virtuous- loyalty to Hitler
- Believes the wise person exerts their will to do what is good- something intrinsically and extrinsically good
What critiques are there of duty based ethics?
- Doesn’t think about other people
- Not universal
- Emotionless
How does Foot develop Aristotle’s theory?
- Calls virtues ‘correctives’
- Explores why the moral virtues need to be nurtured and developed through constant habit and developing that habit
Compares humans with planks of wood- if left out, naturally starts to warp and change shape so requires constant continual attention to keep it straight - Virtuous habits continually straighten us allowing us to become virtuous
What does Maclntyre say about virtue ethics?
- Best option for defining moral behaviour
- Argues we live in an emotivist culture where moral decisions depend on how we feel e.g boo racism, therefore hurray tolerance and equality
- He sees virtue ethics as a community-based theory which can cultivate the virtues of a community
How does Maclntyre develop Aristotle’s theory?
Identifies 2 kinds of good:
1. internal good- good specific to an activity itself, achieved by performing it e.g giving money at chapel
2. External good- something of moral value that results from the practice of a good e.g giving money provides example for others to follow
What does Aristotle say passions are?
bodily appetites
What does Aristotle say capacities are?
Faculties e.g mathematical ability, which we naturally have
What does Aristotle say about character?
Must be developed over time
What is temporance?
Is of itself a moral virtue
How did Richard Taylor describe virtue ethics as?
‘An ethic of aspiration rather than an ethic of duty ‘
What are the key points from Aristotle’s set text ‘Nichomachean ethics’ ?
- The golden mean
- Virtue- intellectual and moral
- develop virtue via habit. development of character starts from childhood
- Developing resilience helps build character
- Arete
- Phronesis
- importance of reason to find golden mean
What are the strengths with virtue ethics?
- Virtue ethics encourages altruism (selfless concern for others) to ensure development of character
- Emphasis on the moral agent and character of the person, can have a religious slant at times e.g 7 Catholic virtues
- Allows use of reason to make ethical decisions beased on their moral wellbeing- not simply obeying the law
- Rejects simplistic rules and regards morality as complex
- Virtues for truthfulness and courage are encouraged, and must be followed to ensure individual growth
What are the problems with virtue ethics?
- Lots of pressure on the individual to answer big questions. May help the person become virtuous but doesn’t not offer firm answers when the person is faced with ethical dilemma e.g speed up or slow down at amber light
- Subjective
- Gilbert harman claims** charater traits are an illusion**
- Doesn’t look at big picture, or how development of individual relates to society
- What is virtuous and how says whether something is or is not contributing to development of character or habit?
- Eudaimonia, golden mean, and phronesis cannot solve moral dilemmas
Are some virtues more important than others?
-
Yes, depends how you rank what contributes to being virtuous
e.g generosity may come above honesty as you may already be very honest
