Moral:1.Virtue Ethics intro Flashcards
What is the primary focus of virtue ethics?
The theory that starts from the question of what it is to be a good person and derives an account of morally right action as what a good person would do.
How does virtue ethics differ from consequentialism?
Virtue ethics centers on the character of the moral agent, while consequentialism focuses on the outcomes of actions.
What is consequentialism?
The theory that actions are morally right or wrong depending on their outcomes and nothing else.
According to consequentialism, an act is right if it maximizes what is _______.
[good]
What does deontology focus on?
The study of what one must do, claiming that actions are right or wrong in themselves, not depending on outcomes.
What does the Greek word ‘deon’ mean?
‘One must’
What are the two categories of moral theories mentioned?
- Act-centred
- Agent-centred
What is the main question virtue ethics seeks to answer?
What it is to be a good person.
What enables a good person to achieve eudaimonia according to Aristotle?
Virtues
Define virtues in the context of virtue ethics.
Traits or states of a person that enable them to achieve some good purpose, especially living a morally good life.
Name three classic virtues identified in virtue ethics.
- Temperance
- Prudence
- Justice
- Courage
Who is considered the father of Western philosophy?
Plato
What major contributions did Aristotle make?
- Logic
- Rhetoric
- Biology
- Ethics
- Politics
What are the names of Aristotle’s works on moral philosophy?
- Eudemian Ethics
- Nichomachean Ethics
What sparked the revival of virtue ethics in the 1950s?
Criticism of act-centred ethics.
Who wrote the influential paper ‘Modern Moral Philosophy’ in 1958?
Elizabeth Anscombe
What criticism does Anscombe make of consequentialism?
It allows people to justify the unjustifiable.
What does virtue ethics provide in terms of moral obligation?
It tells us why we ‘ought’ to do good things in terms of living a flourishing life.
True or False: Virtue ethics assumes the existence of God to explain moral obligations.
False
