Ethics: Theory and Practice

Jacques P. Thiroux
Keith W. Krasemann

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 Chapter Four

Virtue Ethics

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 Definition of Terms

• Virtue is moral excellence, righteousness,

responsibility, or other exemplary qualities
considered meritorious
• Emphasis on the Character

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Aristotle (384-322BCE)
• Nicomachean Ethics
Virtue

INTELLECTUAL MORAL
(inheritance and (habit)
education) resulting in States of
Character i.e.,
propensities to act in
accordance with a
mean of moderation
Philosophical Practical
Wisdom Wisdom
deficiency excess
mean

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 Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics
• Reality and life are teleological in that they
aim toward some end or purpose
• What is the end of our actions?
• Is life a mere “to-do” list?

Human Life
Human Actions

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 Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics

• Tenets (cont’d):
– Begin with the moral judgments of
reasonable and virtuous human beings and
then formulate general principles
– Human beings have a capacity for goodness

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 Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics
– What is virtue and how does it relate to vice?
• Virtue is a mean, relative to use, between the
excess and deficiency
• In shame, modesty is the mean between an
excess of bashfulness and a defect of
shamelessness

Deficiency Excess

Mean

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• Three Kinds of Life
1. Sensual – pleasure
2. Political
• Honor and Virtue

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 What is Happiness for Humans?
• Three Types of Life
1. Vegetation
2. Sensation
3. Rationalization

What is good for each of

these creatures?

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 Virtue

INTELLECTUAL MORAL
(inheritance and (habit)
education) resulting in States of
Character i.e.,
propensities to act in
accordance with a
mean of moderation

Philosophical Practical
Wisdom Wisdom

deficiency excess
mean

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Life of thought - ?

The Two Kinds of Virtues

• Intellectual Virtues
– the trained faculty of choice
– philosophical wisdom, understanding, prudence (practical wisdom)
– requires teaching, Intelligence, foresight
– Experience and Time
– No Shortcut

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Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
• Moral Virtues
– Habit
– Liberality, temperance, courage, justice, friendship
– One becomes good by doing good.

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• Law –to train the citizens to have good habits
– Constant training

• Education – to feel pleasure and pain at the

right objects
– Pleasure at courage, justice
– Pain at cowardice and injustice

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 What makes an act just?
1. Knows what he is doing.
2. Deliberately chose to do it.
3. Doing it as part of his own
firm and immutable
character.

A person does not become

virtuous by a theory. One
must do the act.
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Nature of Virtue
Three Properties of a Soul
1. Emotions
2. Faculties – that which
makes us capable of
experiencing emotions
3. Moral States

Deficiency Excess

Mean

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