Moral - Virtue Ethics

Question 1

What is ‘the good’ for human beings, according to Aristotle? (Think about what our activities aim for)

Answer 1

Aristotle argues that our activities aim at various ‘goods’ that each aim for greater goods, until the end of all actions amount to an ultimate good - Eudaimonia (living one’s life well)

Question 2

Define Eudaimonia

Answer 2

Living well and faring well; human flourishing

Question 3

How did Aristotle establish what the ‘final end’/’ultimate good’ is? (2 approaches)

Answer 3

Aristotle takes 2 approaches to determining the ‘final end’:
- Empirical: by assessing popular opinion, he found that the ultimate goal is living well
- Conceptual: analysed the concept of a ‘final end’ and concluded that it must be an end, the ‘most final’ of final ends, self-sufficient, and the most desirable of all things

Question 4

What is Eudaimonia NOT?

Answer 4

• Pleasure (animalistic)
• Wealth (means to an end)
• Honour (depends on others’ recognition)
• Goodness (compatible with suffering)
• Contemplation (phronesis > thinking)

Question 5

What is the relationship between Eudaimonia and pleasure?

Answer 5

Pleasure is not a final end, pleasure is not the reason for all actions, pleasure is not self-sufficient (can’t be added to) and pleasure is not the most desirable thing - pleasure can be part of Eudaimonia, but it is not the final end

Question 6

What is Ergon?

Answer 6

Ergon refers to ‘functioning’ - the function of a knife is to cut, like how the function of a human is to live guided by reason (according to Aristotle). Humans have function in society like how body parts function, though our function is to reason as reason is exclusive to human beings

Question 7

What is Arete?

Answer 7

Arete refers to functioning well - to be a good knife, it must function well, and to do so it must have the according quality (virtue) of sharpness; to be a good human, the according quality (virtue) would be virtue, as virtues enable one to be guided by reason

Question 8

What is the skill analogy?

Answer 8

Aristotle compares the development of virtues with the development of a skill - they both require practice via copying others, practicing, and applying to different situations (we are not born with virtues nor skills)

Question 9

Outline Aristotle’s description of virtues as character traits/dispositions

Answer 9

Our habitual dispositions form our character as humans; when reason guides our emotions and desires, this is virtuous. When reason fails to guide our emotions, we develop negative character traits (vices)

Question 10

What is the importance of feelings for Aristotle?

Answer 10

For Aristotle, all of our actions are a display of some emotion - a virtuous person would express the right amount of an emotion and hold no inner conflict as they do not need to overcome their feelings to do the right thing

Question 11

What is phronesis?

Answer 11

Practical wisdom; requires experience
- A general idea of what is good and bad as related to eudaimonia
- The ability to apply this idea to situations and deliberate what attitude and action are required
- Ability to act on this deliberation

Question 12

What are the main criticisms of Aristotle’s VE?

Answer 12

From weakest to strongest

1. Offers no clear guidance
2. Circularity
3. Competing virtues
4. Difference between moral good and eudaimonia (possible response: being morally good is necessary to eudaimonia but not sufficient)

Question 13

Outline the problem of competing virtues + possible reply

Answer 13

Situations where 2 virtues coincide, e.g. judge choosing between mercy and justice (sentence thief or not)

Response: virtues are not rigid, therefore conflict between virtues is not possible since the correct virtue depends on circumstance - why ddi they steal? Show appropriate mercy if there are extenuating circumstances like poverty

Question 14

Outline the criticism that there is a difference between moral good wnd eudaimonia

Answer 14

We often distinguish a good life (flourishing) and a morally good life,

e.g. a nurse who spent her life saving people (when she did not enjoy it but did it since it felt needed) in a remote country has died to a virus caught at work at 30yrs old

Her life would be described as morally good, but she did not achieve eudaimonia, so eudaimonia and moral good are separate (not an account of moral philosophy) and eudaimonia is only concerned with self interest