Virtue theory

Question 1

What is eudaimonia?

Answer 1

According to Aristotle, it is ‘well being’ and fulfillment.

Question 2

What is the aim of virtue theory?

Answer 2

Eudaimonia

Question 3

What is ethos?

Answer 3

The character of a person by Aristotle.

Question 4

According to Aristotle, what are the three aspects of happiness?

Answer 4

• A life of enjoyment
• A life with freedom
• Being a philosopher (living by reflection and contemplation).

Question 5

What is the most important virtue?

Answer 5

Wisdom

Question 6

What are the types of virtue and how are they developed?

Answer 6

Moral and intellectual. Moral is developed by habit and practice and intellectual is developed by education.

Question 7

What are the intellectual virtues?

Answer 7

Insight, wisdom and prudence

Question 8

What are the moral virtues?

Answer 8

Courage, patience, proper ambition and truthfulness

Question 9

What does Aquinas compare cultivating the virtues to?

Answer 9

A ‘first sketch’ that develops into a picture.

Question 10

What types of people does Aristotle’s doctrine of the mean produce?

Answer 10

• The sophron
• The enkrates
• The akrates

Question 11

What is a sophron?

Answer 11

Someone who naturally lives in the mean without effort.

Question 12

What is the enkrates?

Answer 12

Someone who is tempted but has the will power to stay in the mean.

Question 13

What is the akrates?

Answer 13

A person who is tempted by vices and has no will power.

Question 14

What is the doctrine of the mean?

Answer 14

The balance between excess and deficiency.

Question 15

What is the excess and efficiency of courage?

Answer 15

Rashness and cowardice

Question 16

What is the excess and efficiency of generosity?

Answer 16

Vulgarity and pettiness

Question 17

What is the excess and efficiency of modesty?

Answer 17

Shyness and shamelessness

Question 18

What are the key virtues?

Answer 18

Courage, wisdom, temperance and justice with wisdom driving them all.

Question 19

What does Jesus say on the sermon on the mount?

Answer 19

‘blessed are the peacemakers…’
‘blessed are those who mourn…’
‘blessed are the meek…’

Question 20

What does ‘poor in spirit’ mean?

Answer 20

Those who are oppressed, enslaved and have their rights taken from them.

Question 21

What does ‘mourning’ mean?

Answer 21

Concern for loss of possession, status, health or a person.

Question 22

What does ‘meek’ mean?

Answer 22

A description of discipline and self control.

Question 23

What is a good thing about virtue theory?

Answer 23

It focuses on the way that we behave rather than simply what we should believe.

Question 24

Why is virtue theory attractive to feminist thinkers?

Answer 24

It is an alternative to the rules and duties that are stereotypically a male way of approaching life.

Question 25

Give three challenges to virtue theory.

Answer 25

• It doesn’t fit conveniently into the category of either teleological or deontological.
• Virtues are not a practical guide to moral behaviour
• Cultural relativism and the use of virtues for immoral acts

Question 26

Explain the challenge of the virtues not being practical for moral behaviour.

Answer 26

• Could be seen as vague, imprecise and arbitrary.
• There is too much dependence on the potential goodness of others
• Too individualistic so not practical for society as a whole
• Too complex for many humans to apply, even Aristotle recognised that not everyone has the same ability when resisting a vice.

Question 27

Explain the challenge of cultural relativism.

Answer 27

• There is a degree of behaviour and there has been clear instances where one society’s virtue is considered another society’s vice.

Question 28

What is a problem with the virtues?

Answer 28

The virtues are very subjective as there could be differences in expressing a virtue for example warriors are praised for their courage.