P1 - Virtue Ethics Flashcards
What is eudaimonia
[for Aristotle] that which is the good for humans, defined and rejected variously as: pleasure, honour, happiness, complete well-being; defined finally as the intellectual virtue of theoria (scientific) contemplation
What claim does Aristotle begins Nicomachean Ethics with
“Every art and every enquiry, and similarly every action as well as choice, is held to aim at some good”
Disagreement about the final end (happiness
there is some disagreement about the final end, but most people agree that this final end is happiness
- some say that happiness is pleasure, Aristotle rejects this because even cattle experience pleasure
- happiness is recieving political honour, but since it is given by others, it can hardly be the final end
- others say it is wealth, but wealth is just a means to an end
What is the function argument
the human good is a function of the soul in accord with virtue
there is a relation between goodness and function
Function argument - knife example
a good knife is one that works well and fulfils its purpose: its blade will be sharp, its handle will be engineered for the best grip and it will cut well
What is the function of humans?
exercise of reason/ the rational part of the soul – according to Aristotle is unique to humans
“thus the good life is not the kind in which we eat, reproduce, sense, move, remember or imagine well [plants and animals do that], but that in which we exercise reason well
Aristotle’s conclusion of the human telos
the telos - the end or purpose of human beings - is focused on the rational soul
the good life will be one in which reason is exercised well
How does one exercise reason well
by exercising virtue (exercising moral exellence)
How is the human soul divided
two aspects of the human soul: the rational and non-rational
What is the non-rational part of the soul
has moral virtues (virtues of character), such as: courage, patientce and modesty
these virtues are formed by habit (helped by the rational soul)
What is the rational part of the soul
intellectual virtues: theoretical virtues like doing maths, physics, etc. and practical virutes such as understanding, judgement and practical wisdom
these intellectual virtues are those which contribute most to the good life, because they are under the control of reason
How must a virtuous person exericse the two aspects of the human soul
they must:
- know what they are doing in any situation, and not act through ignorance, and
- must choose to act virtuously
How do we perform virtues well? (quote)
“virtue, therefore is a characteristic marked by choice, residing in the mean relative to us, a characteristic defined by reason and as the prudent person would define it. Virtue is also a mean with respect to two vices, the one vice related to excess, the other to deficiency…”
what is the mean (doctrine of the mean)
the median - specific virtues lie between two extremes - the excess and the deficiency
the mean is relative to the disposition of each individual
what is phronimos
the man of practical wisdom who, in Aristotle’s system, is best qualified to define virtuous behaviour in any situation, his practical wisdom having been acquired by constant practice and habit
what are the two extremes
excess and deficiency
what actions can be virtuous
only voluntary actions can be virtuous - needs to have proper intentions
- proper intention does not include things like desire, or a wish, or an opinion, must involve deliberation and a choice made on the basis of reason
- one can only intend something which one has the power to do
what does Aristotle conclude the good life of humans is
the good life for humans is theoria (comtemplation)
Strengths of Virtue ethics - holistic
virtue ethics is holistic, the whole personality is considered: excellence of character; the development of theoretical reasoning (maths, physics and philosophy); the development of practical skills such as judgement, practical wisdom and deliberation
Strengths of Virtue ethics - human-centred
it is a human-centred ethic
values strength of moral character above following rules regardless of whether the rules are good, bad or indifferent
Strengths of Virtue ethics - flexible
allows for moral judgement, does not have the problem of deontological ethics wehre rules conflict
also avoids trying to guess the future
Strengths of Virtue ethics - helps solve problems
does not make the claim that there is a perfect solution for every moral problem, but it instead it equips people to deal with those problms
Strengths of Virtue ethics - eudaimonia
has a teleologial focus of eudaimonia - complete well-being, so is good for society
Strengths of Virtue ethics - straight-forward
you do not have to be mentally equipped to deal with things like NML’s difficult doctrine of double effect
instead, by following the example of virtuous people, it is more open to making mistakes (being human)
virtues is developed over a complete lifetime, so there is always room for development and improvement
Strengths of Virtue ethics - doctrine of the mean
means that virtue ethics is flexible with regard to situations and persons
Weaknesses of Virtue ethics - ignores cultural relativism
different societies have different virtues, so what is virtuous in one society/ time may be different in another
therefore, how do we decide which set of virtues is right
Weaknesses of Virtue ethics - circular argument
Aristotle’s argument seems to be circular:
how should we behave? we should act virtuously
what is a virtuous act? an act done by someone who is virtuous
how does one become virtuous? by acting virtuously
Weaknesses of Virtue ethics - usefulness in national and international politics
although virtue ethics is useful for individual morality, governments cannot make ethical decisions based on individual character.
So virtue ethics seems less effective in the wider context
Weaknesses of Virtue ethics - accuracy
how accurate is Aristotle’s function argument?
- Aquinas adopted function argument into NML, claiming that the function of human sexuality is reproduction – but this seems weak as human sexuality can also form loving relationship, physical pleasure, etc.
- the claim that each part of the body has a specific function therefore the whole human must have a specific function seems to be a fallacy of composition
- the view that humans have a specific function is teleological
Weaknesses of Virtue ethics - anthropocentric (human-centred)
Aristotle’s system is focused on the good for humans - he argues that humans are unique for having rationality while animal souls only have basic knowledge
but this is wrong, there are cases where naimals are also able to exercise rationality or show more unique thinking processes, so Aristotle undervalues animals
Weaknesses of Virtue ethics - difficulty in applying to moral dilemmas
difficult to apply to moral dilemmas such as embryo research and cloning
virtues tend to be practiced over a lifetime while moral issues require immediate answers
Weaknesses of Virtue ethics - simplicity
people need laws in order to have a clear understanding of what they should and should not do
there are many people who refuse to act virtuously and who would go on refusing to act virtuously throughout their lives
people would need guidelines and consequences
