Virtue Ethics Flashcards
What is virtue ethics? /4(7)
founded by Aristotle
similar to Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism
morality is fundamentally about good people
3 key concepts:”
- arête
- phronesis
- eudaimonia
What is arête? /4(6)
means virtue
leading a good life is essentially about cultivating good character
positive characteristic
2 types:
- perfect virtue
- continent virtue
What is the downside of arête? /2
it would be overly simplistic to assess someone’s virtue based on a single observed action
particularly if we don’t know the person’s reasoning for doing the thing that they did.
What is perfect virtue?
does not hesitate todo the right thing in any given situation
What is continent virtue?
will have to overcome some internal obstacle before doing the right thing
What makes virtue praiseworthy but difficult? /2
the fine balance required to achieve a good character
golden mean
What is the gold mean? /3
coined by Aristotle
the right amount of a quality
person can fall short of virtuous behavior or exceed it
ex. coward - courageous - reckless
What is phronesis? /3
how we practice virtue ethics
BALANCE
the ability to make decisions that lead to good outcomes
What are 2 key aspects of phronesis?
experience of life as a rich knowledge of human behaviour
the ability to make distinctions or an attention to detail
What is not certifiable with phronesis? /2
one can have any number of experiences, but fail to learn from them because they have not taken the time to reflect on those experiences and learn any valuable lessons
one may have a very analytical mind and be able to make meaningful distinctions between things, but lack the life experience to properly
What is eudaimonia? /3
why we practice virtue ethics
often translated as both happiness and flourishing
human pursuit for moral flourishing
What is moral flourishing?
captures the idea of growth, but puts it exclusively in the context of living well
Why is happiness/flourishing subjective? /2
happiness: things that might make us happy in the short term that we may well come to regret later on
flourishing: has its shortcomings since it only happens under the proper conditions
What are the strengths of virtue ethics? /2
Most people think that character (who a person is) is a central part of ethics.
It takes a holistic view and discourages us from judging a person based on a single act.
What are the weaknesses of virtue ethics? /2
It isn’t action oriented–there is no clear process for making moral decisions.
There is no consensus on what constitutes virtue (cultural relativism)
