Batangas State University

College of Engineering, Architecture, and Fine Arts

Petroleum Engineering

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for
GEd 107 - Ethics

"Moral Agent: Developing Virtue as a Habit"

Barecante Jr., Charlie M.

PetE - 1301
Escalona, Joseph

Mrs. Wennie Albania

June 13, 2019
 Moral Agent: Developing Virtue as a Habit

MORAL AGENCY

Moral agency is the ability to make ethical decisions based on what is right or wrong. This capacity
can be found in individuals or collective entities like businesses or health care institution
According to Christen et al., moral agency encompasses three major concepts:
1.the moral competency of the person or organisation in question
2. the normative framework on which ethical behaviour is based, and
3. the situational constraints that influence decision-making.
Moral competencies include reasoning, recognition, response, discernment, accountability,
character, motivation, and leadership.[8] With the appropriate normative framework and a
supportive situational environment, moral competency gives rise to sound moral judgements.

Moral Agent
Moral agents are those agents expected to meet the demands of morality. Not all agents are moral
agents. Young children and animals, being capable of performing actions, may be agents in the
way that stones, plants and cars are not. But though they are agents they are not automatically
considered moral agents. For a moral agent must also be capable of conforming to at least some of
the demands of morality.
Moral agent is person who has the ability to discern right from wrong and to be held accountable
for his or her own actions.
They can has have a moral responsibility not to cause unjustified harm.
Agents can obey moral laws such as ‘Murder is wrong’ or ‘Stealing is wrong’, then they are moral
agents, even if they respond only to prudential reasons such as fear of punishment and even if they
are incapable of acting for the sake of moral considerations.
According to the strong version, the Kantian version, it is also essential that the agents should have
the capacity to rise above their feelings and passions and act for the sake of the moral law.
There are also claims that the true agent can perform the relevant act out of altruistic impulses.
Other suggested conditions of moral agency are that agents should have: an enduring self with free
will and an inner life; understanding of the relevant facts as well as moral understanding.

Virtue Ethics
Virtue ethics is philosophy developed by Aristotle and other ancient Greeks
It is quest to understand and live a life of moral character
This character-based approach to morality assumes that we acquire virtue through practice. By
practicing being honest, brave, just, generous, and so on, a person develops an honorable and
moral character. According to Aristotle, by honing virtuous habits, people will likely make the
right choice when faced with ethical challenges.

Virtue as a Habit
Virtues, according to Aristotle, are habits and that the good life is a life of mindless routine.
- dispositions to act in certain ways in response to similar situations, the habits of behaving in
certain way
Thus, good conduct arises from habits that in turn can only be acquired by repeated action and
correction

Developoing Virtue as a Habit

Aristotle believed that virtue as a habit requires an intentional choice when you begin.
Over time one becomes used to behaving virtuously and after a while one acts virtuously without
needing to use volition. You have become virtuous, it’s now part of you and how you act.
Aristotle defines moral virtue as a disposition to behave in the right manner and as a mean between
extremes of deficiency and excess, which are vices. We learn moral virtue primarily
through habit and practice rather than through reasoning and instruction.

References:
Moral Agency. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.physio-pedia.com/Moral_Agency
Moral Agent. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/glossary/moral-agent
Greenan, J. P. (1970, January 01). Is Virtue a Habit? Retrieved June 12, 2019, from
http://citywalktalk.blogspot.com/2009/11/is-virtue-habit.html
Virtue Ethics. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/glossary/virtue-ethics
Haksar, V.(1998). Moral agents. In The Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Taylor and
Francis. Retrieved 17 Jun. 2019, from
https://www.rep.routledge.com/articles/thematic/moral-agents/v-1.
doi:10.4324/9780415249126-L049-1