5.2 Virtue Flashcards
What is virtue ethics
Virtue ethics is an:
agent centred (focuses on a persons moral character)
Teleological (the final end is Edda imponía which we can achieve through developing positive character traits)
And defines good actions as one done by GOOD AND VIRTUOUS PEOPLE
Teleological view
Directed towards, or justified in terms of, some goal or purpose
What makes something right?
If a good or virtuous person would do an act then its a good or virtuous act
‘Every action we take aims at some good’
All of our actions aim towards some good in our life which add value to our lives e.g. studying to get good grades
These are pleasurable goods which help us to achieve a means to an end
What is a means to an end
A good
How do we know when we have reached THE good
‘The most desirable of all things’
‘ sake of which everything else is done’ (desired for its own sake)
Candidates for THE good
Pleasure, wealth, honour
Why can’t pleasure be THE good
It’s a passive state of mind (doesn’t characterise the activity of living ones life), we share pleasure with animals and what we want is the good for human beings
Why can’t wealth be THE good
Not an activity, only useful as a means to an end, and an instrumental good
Why can’t honour be THE good
You have to be honoured for achieving the good, as to have honour others must recognise your achievements
What is eudiamonia?
The good for human life ‘living well and faring well’ human flourishing to achieve it is to live as best as a human can live.
How does eudaimonia contrast with the usual idea of happiness (psychological state)
Happiness is a psychological state but eudiamonia characterises the activity of living.
How does eudiamonia contrast with the usual idea of happiness? (Subjective/objective)
Eudiamonia is objective and to say someone has reached it is to make an objective judgment ; not to say anything directly about their statement of mind. If someone says they are happy it’s difficult yo correct or no better as it’s subjective
how does eudaimonia contrast with the usual idea of happiness (changeable)
Eudaimonia is not easily changeable and doesnt come and go like happiness - its a stable judgement as it evaluates someone’s life as a whole
Whats the importance in pursuing other goods for THE good
Pursuing things for their own sake like pleasure, we are also pursuing for the sake of eudaimonia - to have a good life
Everything we do
Doing for the sake of living well and fairing well reaching the FINAL GOOD (never seek for anything else) final end without qualification
Eudaimonia is self sufficient a
It makes life desirable on its own and is the most desirable thing, the only self-sufficient good
What is Aristotles view on pleasure
Pleasure plays a part of the good
How does THE good life involve pleasure
Plays a crucial role in developing virtues of character and enabling us to reach Eudaimonia - initially we may not enjoy being virtuous but when we start to enjoy acting in this way it completes the activity
Trait
Tendency to behave in a particular way
How do we become virtuous?
By doing virtuous acts which get better with practice
The virtuous life is a happy life where we will enjoy acting virtuously, becoming virtuous is a developmental process which requires moral education
Ergon
‘Function’ or ‘characteristic activity’ of something e.g. the ergon of a knife is to cut, the ergon of an eye is to see
Why do we look at function?
To arrive at a clearer conception of happiness and how to reach it, we should first assert the function of a human being
In order to fulfil its ergon a thing will need certain qualities…
