Transcript Virtue Ethics

Virtue Ethics:
Prescription for a Well-Lived Life
The guiding question
of Aristotelian virtue ethics:
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NOT “What should I
do?”
(or, “what actions are
right?”)
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BUT “What kind of
person should I be?”
(or, “how should I be in
order to have a good
life?”)
Three core concepts:
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Excellence or virtue (arête)-- the excellent
performance of distinctively human function.
Wisdom, practical or moral (phronesis), to achieve
balance between extremes and to choose
appropriate priorities.
Flourishing, happiness, or well-being
(eudaimonia)-- a life well-lived, a deeply satisfying
life intimately connected with successful living
(interpreted as the fulfilment of natural potential).
We can contrast two approaches
to the moral life:
The childhood conception of
morality:
Comes from outside (usually
parents).
Is negative (“don’t touch that
stove burner!”).
Rules and habit
formation are
central.
The adult conception of morality.
Comes from within (selfdirected).
Is positive (“I want to be this
kind of person.”).
Virtue-centered, often modeled
on ideals.
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Both of these conceptions of morality are
appropriate at different times in life.
Adolescence and early adulthood is the
time when some people make the
transition from the adolescent conception
of morality to the adult conception.
“Some” people make the transition?
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Moral education may initially seek to
control unruly desires through rules, the
formation of habits, etc.
Ultimately, moral education aims at
forming rightly-ordered desires, that is,
teaching people to desire what is
genuinely good for them.
Sadly, not everybody gets there.
Aristotle draws an interesting contrast:
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“Evil people, who yield to vice because they do not believe that
the virtues are worth striving for,”
“Incontinent people, who are not able to control their desires and
act them out instead,”
“Continent people, who have unruly desires but manage to
control them.”
“Temperate people, whose desires are naturally—or through
habit, second-nature— directed toward that which is good for
them.”
Weakness of will (akrasia) occurs when individuals cannot keep their desires
under control.
SOURCES: http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2003/entries/ethics-virtue/ , and
http://ethics.sandiego.edu/presentations/Theory/virtue/index.asp .
What are the “practical virtues” that
lead to a harmonious, fulfilled life?
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Courage
Temperance
Liberality
Magnificence
Magnanimity
Proper ambition
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Patience
Truthfulness
Wittiness
Friendliness
Modesty
Righteous indignation
(as Aristotle sees things)
Virtue As the Golden Mean
Strength of character (virtue,
excellence), Aristotle
suggests, involves finding
the proper balance
between two extremes:
 Excess: having too much
of something.
 Deficiency: having too
little of something.
 The aim is not mediocrity,
but harmony and balance.
Examples of the Golden Mean
Attitude toward self:
Servility, self-deprecation
Proper pride, self-respect
Arrogance, conceit, vanity
Attitude toward others’ offenses:
Doormat; ignoring offenses
Anger, forgiveness,
understanding
Revenge, grudge, resentment
Attitude toward friends:
Indifference
Loyalty
Obsequiousness
Attitude toward others’ suffering:
Callousness
Compassion
Pity
Attitude toward death and danger:
Cowardice
Courage
Foolhardiness
Attitude toward people in general:
Exploitation
Respect
Deferentiality
What Makes a Person Virtuous?
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Motivation—acts performed for their own
sake, not for presumed consequences
Conscious, deliberate choice
Consistency and habit, via discipline and
practice
Temperance, reaching “the Golden Mean”
Isn’t virtue ethics just egoism?
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No, because humans are
social animals, built for living
in communities, so our
behavior toward others is
innately oriented to self AND
others’ well-being.
A good life requires a good
community.
We strive for virtuous
communities because that’s
how we want to live, and
that’s how human function is
best fulfilled.
Highlights: A Virtuous Person…
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Consistently, and with proper motivation, does
what is right; does not do what is wrong.
Learns by observing and imitating, and by
discipline and practice.
Practices temperance and moderation.
Has the wisdom to balance between extremes
and to choose appropriate priorities.
Has well-ordered desires and lives a fulfilled
life in a community of virtuous others.
Sources
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http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-virtue/ accessed 2-1-05
STANFORD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PHILOSOPHY
Lawrence M. Hinman, Univ. of San Diego,
http://ethics.acusd.edu/presentations/Theory/virtue/index_files/v
3_document.htm accessed 2-1-05
http://www.hu.mtu.edu/~tlockha/virtuw98.htm accessed 2-1-05
http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/arts/philosophy/15.274SS_L0
1_post2.htm accessed 2-1-05
http://www.colorado.edu/philosophy/robertsm/4-1703_files/frame.htm accessed 2-1-05