CHAPTER 7 - Virtue Ethics Flashcards
virtue ethics is a specific ethical theory that is originally found in the philosophy of the ancient Greek thinker _____
Aristotle
This particular moral paradigm has also come to be known as “______” for its primary and special emphasis on the acquisition and development of an excellent or virtuous character.
character ethics
Virtue ethics is also known as_____
character ethics
is practically concerned with the whole question of wwhat kind of person should I be?” rather than the common and dominant ethical pursuit as to the right thing to do.”
virtue ethics
“Most of the ancient thinkers approach ethics by asking What traits of character make someone a good person?” rather that asking What particular principle can be applied in order to do what is right
virtue ethics
So morality’s central theme, based on_______, is. “[mainly about] producing excellent persons, who, act well out of spontaneous goodness and serve as examples to inspire others»
virtue ethics
According to Aristotle, (virtue or excellence] (from the Greek word____) is essentially a kind of “disposition” to act well or excellently (living well).
arête
[Virtues are special moral qualities… [and] trained behavioral dispositions that result in_____ acts of moral goodness”
habitual
To do a virtuous at does not automatically turn an individual into a virtuous person, since virtue is not “just an act”- but a___
habit
“_____is a trait of character manifested in habitual action”
For instance… “[t]he_____ of honesty is not possessed by someone who tells the truth occasionally or only when it benefits her.
The honest person is truthful as a matter of course; her actions spring from a firm and unchangeable character””
Virtue
a person or an individual becomes good or moral not by doing a singular act of goodness but by acting, or rather, by doing the good repeatedly or regularly; so it will become a habit.
Virtue is a Habit
Lo become a virtuous person therefore is to make the virtues (that is, the good/positive and desirable character traits) as the defining feature of one’s being.
Virtue is a Habit
A person can then be said to be good or moral if she is a person of character.
Virtue is a Habit
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One’s personal character then is the result or by-product of acts or deeds of repeated goodness.
wisdom
courage
temperance
justice
magnanimity, among others.
is simply a logical consequence of one’s character or identity.
Goodness
Virtue is a Habit
when virtuous people are confronted with certain or specific moral situations, they will naturally do the right thing precisely because doing the right thing is part of who they are, of their character, of their inner core. One does the good precisely because one is good, not the other way around.
Virtue is a Habit
when people are said to be morally good) this is so «because of their good character that enables them to spontaneously do the right thing.
Virtue is a Habit
there is a teleological (that is, “goal-oriented) aspect in virtue ethics, but it differs from the kind usually found in utilitarianism, which asks what sort of action will maximize happiness or utility
The Virtue-based concept of teleology focuses, rather, on the goal of life: living well and achieving excellence”
Virtue is a Habit
For____ virtue is not something that a person is born with. Rather it is something that the individual has to earn through effort, dedication, and persistence
Aristotle
Virtue is Acquired and a Product of Effort
It is also something that is achieved through and with others.
One cannot become virtuous apart from the community.
There is therefore here a sense of a communitarian aspect to the attainment and development of the virtues.
It is something that is not possible in isolation.
Virtue is Acquired and a Product of Effort
The acquisition of a virtuous character is also a process that requires____. Its attainment is one of a lifetime endeavor.
time
Virtue is Acquired and a Product of Effort
As a process, Virtues are then acquired and developed through constant practice, for practice creates & habit of acting in a virtuous way.
As the saying goes: “practice makes one perfect.”
Virtue is Acquired and a Product of Effort
T or F| individuals are not born good or evil
True
Becoming good or evil is a matter of learning and habit; through practice.
Virtue then is a______ concept and is intimately linked to our striving for excellence»
developmental
Virtue is Acquired and a Product of Effort
becoming what one aims to be does not happen overnight, for this goes with doing the work persistently, consistently and unfailingly. Everything has to go through a process. One therefore has to learn to trust the process.
Virtue is Acquired and a Product of Effort
Another important and related teaching of Aristotle on virtue is his philosophy regarding the ________ or __________
pursuit of happiness or human flourishing /fulfillment.
Virtue, Reason, and the Pursuit of Happiness
“How do we become happy
people? Aristotle thinks we do so through having the right habits, which he describes as virtues…[which] are (as mentioned) ingrained dispositions that are conducive to living well”
Virtue, Reason, and the Pursuit of Happiness
According to Aristotle, a happy life is a life of_____.
Such a life involves reason (rational contemplation).
virtue
Virtue, Reason, and the Pursuit of Happiness
a life of reason is one that is devoted to rational activities such as thinking and reasoning.
It is essentially the life of a philosopher, a life of a thinker
Virtue, Reason, and the Pursuit of Happiness
This kind of life gives man the deepest joy and happiness since this is the life that we human can share with the gods.
One that is dedicated to the contemplation of divine and eternal truths.
A life if reason/ virtue
Virtue, Reason, and the Pursuit of Happiness
In understanding man’s pursuit for happiness, Aristotle says “ …that every act that a person does is directed towards a particular purpose, aim, or what the Greeks called____.
telos
Virtue, Reason, and the Pursuit of Happiness
There is a purpose why one does something…. a person’s action manifests a good that she aspires for.
For every pursuit of a person hopes to achieve a good…..The good is considered to be then____ or purpose for which all acts seek to achieve”
telos
Virtue, Reason, and the Pursuit of Happiness
Aristotle’s highly influential book__________ (a book said to be named after his son Nichomachus),
Nichomachean Ethics
Virtue, Reason, and the Pursuit of Happiness
Aristotle discerns basically the nature of human happiness (________) as the ultimate and final goal of all human striving, by reference to our special and unique function as human beings
eudaemonia
Virtue, Reason, and the Pursuit of Happiness
something is good if it functions according to its nature. If it serves the very purpose of its being.
Say, a knife is good if it is able to cut (well) a ball pen is good if it is able to write well on paper.
The same is true with the human being. A good human being-is one that functions according to his_____.
essence
Virtue, Reason, and the Pursuit of Happiness
The excellent use of reason is what Aristotle considers as a “_____ activity”
virtuous activity
Virtue, Reason, and the Pursuit of Happiness
is an activity of the soul or a course of action in accordance with reason”.
And philosophic contemplation, as previously mentioned, represents the very summit of all human pursuits and activities.
And since reason is distinct and unique in man, it is only logical that it should be the one to direct and governed all his activities and pursuits, without of course neglecting other capacities in various spheres of his existence.
Virtue
Virtue, Reason, and the Pursuit of Happiness
to be happy, which is the ultimate and highest human good or______ (total well-being or happiness), is to live a life of virtue.
eudaemonia
Virtue, Reason, and the Pursuit of Happiness
A final important concept in Aristotle’s ethics where he provides a unifying framework for understanding virtue in general as a mean between two_____”
extremes
Virtue and the Golden Mean
living a good and reasonable life through moderation as expressed in a doctrine known as the
Golden Mean
Virtue and the Golden Mean
This particular doctrine teaches that we have to live and practice a life that avoids both extremes:
excess and deficiency
Golden Mean
Virtue and the Golden Mean
It teaches us to avoid falling into the pit of overindulgence. /For anything that is done excessively and inadequately leads to doom, Living out of bounds, too much and too little, is to sin against reason, And to sin against reason is the surest road to perdition.
Golden Mean
Virtue and the Golden Mean
To be a virtuous and well-integrated person therefore, ought to constantly practice consciously the art and skill of doing and having “just enough” deliberately avoiding any form of extremes in one’s action, feeling, and conduct. Of course this is easier said than done, but through diligence, persistence, and constant deliberate practice, Aristotle believes, this kind of balance is not impossible to achieve.
Golden Mean
Virtue and the Golden Mean
In ancient Greek thought, following in the tradition of Plato, there were four basic or cardinal virtues. These are:
pjtc
prudence (or wisdom)
justice
temperance
courage
Virtue and the Golden Mean
If one has too little” courage (kulang ng tapang), which is a deficiency, this results to______ (kaduwagan), which is a vice.
cowardice
Virtue and the Golden Mean
too muchof courage, that is, being
“too courageous” (nasobrahan ng tapang), is____
foolhardiness
Virtue and the Golden Mean
[therefore] is having just the right amount of fear (Takot na katamtaman lamang), depending on what is appropriate for us as individuals and for the circumstances we face”
virtue of courage
Virtue and the Golden Mean
Having the________ then is to act rightly and reasonably at the right time, in the right place, at the right person with the right reason, and at the right situation.
virtue of courage
Virtue and the Golden Mean
