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