Virtue Ethics Flashcards
-Virtue ethics
-Developed by Aristotle, based on virtue theory
Function Argument:
-Humans have a function which is to do ‘the good’ by becoming moral and virtuous, when we do the good we are performing our function well-performing our function well leads to a state of eudamonia or true happiness and spiritual flourishing.
-Aristotle suggests we reach this state through the pursuit of virtue and goodness.
Virtues
Virtues are characteristics we need to voluntarily adopt in order to fulfill our function as they allow us to do the good, they are the means and the ends which make an action good.
-Virtues are good habits we aquire which allow us to do good and to become good and moral, moral actions precede from good virtues
-We need both intellectual virtues such as the ability to reason and learn and apply virtues in given situations, as well as moral virtues in order to become truly moral, we need to practise these virtues until they are perfected and become true character habits and we always do the right thing
-An action is good if it comes from good virtues we choose to adopt and apply.
Moral development
-To become truly moral we need to choose to adopt virtues habitually in all situations until they become character habits and we always do the virtuous thing and thus we fulfill our telos and reach eudamonia.
Doctrine of the mean
-Virtues must be applied at a mean between excess and deficit, they must not be applied excessively and not too little when practising virtues, in order for an action to be moral it must be a virtue applied within the mean, e.g too little courage is bad but too much courage is dangerous, we need to use rationale to figure out how to apply the virtue within the mean.
Cardinal Virtues
Temperance-Moderation and balance
2. Justice
3. Courage
4. Wisdom
Strengths of virtue ethics-Individual moral development
A strength of Aristotle’s theory is that it focuses on individual moral development, Aristotle’s
doctrine of the mean makes us develop our moral character as by habitually applying virtues at a
mean eventually leads to us becoming truly virtuous and always doing the right thing as the doctrine
of the mean ensures we always act virtuous. This is a strength because the doctrine of the mean
allows us to become truly moral and always make virtuous moral decisions unlike de-ontological
rule-based ethics as following rules doesn’t make us truly moral. This makes it a reliable and good
foundation for moral decision making as it develops our character and ensures we always make good
decisions, in practice it would lead to a society with morally developed, virtuous members which
would be beneficial,
Strength of virtue theory
Offers incentive for us to be moral and reach moral development as we percieve we will attain a reward in the future through eudamonia.
-Secular, doesn’t rely on God, applicable in modern times, lack convincingness to Christians
-No absolute moral rules, virtues are relative to the situation
-Virtues are relative and can be interpreted subjectively
-Virtues like justice can be interpreted differently across cultures, some people may argue actions like slavery or killing homosexuality is virtuous as it is courageous thus it could condone immoral actions because virtues can be interpreted subjectively thus it could condone immoral actions, the theory doesn’t account or limit behaviours which are intrinsically right or wrong e.g exploitation of others, morality based purely on virtue is problematic as it may have negative implications, virtues are relative
-Kant-there are some things which are intrinsically right and wrong which ethical theories need to account for-we need more absolute rules
C: Some actions cannot be applied at all in a mean or considered courageous, e.g murder, however he does argue actions like slavery can be considered in the mean so it can condone immoral actions.
-Fallacy of composition
-To assume we have a function at all or an end goal is a fallacy of composition, we have no reason to assume we have a function thus no reason to follow the theory, not compelling or convincing, the idea that morality will result in eudamonia is unverifiable.
Difficult to use.
Another limitation of Aristotle’s theory is that it is difficult to use, Aristotle gives no moral rules but
tells us to use reason to apply virtue at a mean, this is a limitation as it is difficult to figure out which
virtue we need to apply and how to apply it at a mean, which is vague and may make it difficult to
figure out what moral decision to make. This is a limitation as it makes moral decision making
difficult and could lead to us making the wrong moral decisions, this prevents the theory from
providing a reliable foundation for moral decision making as it is too difficult to use, de-ontological
ethical theories may be clearer and more reliable. Whilst it can be argued if our moral character and
reason are developed, we will always know the right virtue, this is likely untrue in practice due to the
vague nature of the doctrine of the mean it makes it difficult to make moral decisions compared to
other theories, reducing its reliability.
