Lesson 9: VIRTUE ETHICS: ARISTOTLE

Virtue ethics is concerned with those traits of character that make one a good person. We
can all think of persons whom we admire, and we can sometimes tell why we admire or look up to
them. When we do so, we often say that they are generous, kind, patient, persevering, or loyal, for
example. When these traits are unusually well developed, these persons may be regarded as heroes or
even as saints. People can also exhibit bad character traits. For example, they can be tactless, careless,
boorish, stingy, vindictive, disloyal, lazy, or egotistical. An ethics focused on virtue encourages us to
develop the good traits and get rid of the bad ones.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After studying this chapter, the students should be able to:

1. Discuss the meaning of eudaimonia or happiness and its relation to ethics;
2. Appreciate and articulate the role of virtue in crafting an ethical life; and
3. Write a film review about movie wherein Aristotle’s virtue ethics is exemplified.

LECTURE NOTES

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) was born in the Greek colony of

Stagira in Macedonia. Nicomachus, his father, was a student of
natural history and an eminent physician who served under
Amnytas II, King of Macedonia, father to Philip the Great and
grandfather to Alexander the Great. As fate would have it,
Aristotle also eventually served the royal family as tutor to the
young Alexander the Great. Aristotle studied in Plato's Academy
and is unanimously considered to be Plato's greatest student,
with some scholars going as far as saying that he exceeded his
mentor both in depth and breadth of knowledge.

His philosophy was definitely not a mere extension of

Plato's but may be considered as an attempt to "ground" his
master's teachings in the world as we know it. If Plato was In the photo: Aristotle
Photo Source: nytimes.com
confined to the belief that the good or purpose of the human
person is to be found in another realm, which he called the world of forms, Aristotle contradicts this by
saying that the proper good of the human person is achievable in this world through the practical
cultivation of virtue (arête). His Nicomachean Ethics is just one of the many books he wrote. This book,
thought to be dedicated to his son, Nicomachus, is essentially a guide for living well, a handbook for
those who seek to build and cultivate one's character in the hope of achieving life's ultimate goal (telos),
which he says is happiness or flourishing (eudaimonia).

The Greek philosopher Aristotle [384-322 B.C.J wrote his Nicomachean Ethics with these
questions in mind. As one of Plato's most prolific students, he shares with his teacher the fundamental
assumption that what radically distinguishes the human person from other forms of being is his/her
possession of reason (logos). For both of these thinkers, the ultimate purpose cannot be fully

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understood without understanding the place of reason in ordering one's life. However, if Plato firmly
believes that ignorance is solely responsible for committing immoral acts, thinking that once one truly
knows the good, one will inevitably do the good, Aristotle believes otherwise. Aristotle considers that
morality is not merely a matter of knowing the good but actually doing or practicing the good habitually.
We become what we are by what we do and not merely by what we know. For him, we can only fully
actualize our potential as human beings once we understand what being human essentially aims to and
do the necessary things to fulfill our function (ergon) in the most excellent way possible.

Ethics as the Art of Living Well

Eudaimonia

Aristotle assumes that any activity, practical or theoretical, aims towards some end or good. He
gives the tollowing examples to elucidate this proposition: health for the practice of medicine, ship for
shipbuilding, and victory for generalship in war, among others. However, these ends are still provisional
goals to another goal. If, for instance, the practice of medicine aims to promote and maintain health in
society, can we not ask further why we want to be healthy? Does one seek health for its own sake or
does one seek it perhaps because one would like to be able to fulfill one's duties as a parent well
because one wants to raise good children? But what is the end goal of having good children Why does
one want to have good children? Perhaps because one cares enough for one's society that one does not
want to contaminate it with useless citizens in the future. But, why does one value society this much? As
one can see, almost all ends are not ends in themselves but mere conduits for a further or deeper end.

Aristotle is not simply interested in finding out the different ends or purposes for human life. He
wants to find out what our chief end is. He is interested in finding out what all our lives essentially and
ultimately aim to. The chief good for the human person must not be something one aims at for
the sake of something else. It cannot be wealth, for wealth is merely a means for possessing things such
as houses or cars. Neither can it be fame nor honor for they are just instruments for feeding one's ego, a
servant of pride. Aristotle names the chief good for the human person as happiness or eudaimonia. For
him, happiness is the self- sufficient, final, and attainable goal of human life. It is self- sufficient because
to have it makes human life complete. It is final because it is desired for itself and not for the sake of
something else, and it is attainable because, as shall be explained later, it is not a mere theoretical
construct but something that one actually does practically. In his own
words:
Happiness above all seems to be of this character, for we always choose it on account of itself
and neveron account of something else. Yet honor, pleasure, intellect, and every virtue we choose on
their own account-for even if nothing resulted from them, we would choose each of them-but we choose
them also for the sake of happiness, because we suppose that, through them, we will be happy. But
nobody chooses happiness for the sake of these things, or, more
generally, on account of anything else.

The Principal Virtues and Vices

Excess (vice) Mean (virtue) Deficiency (vice)

Rashness Courage Cowardice
Self Indulgence Moderation Insensibility
Prodigality Liberality Meanness
Vulgarity Magnificence Paltriness
Vanity Proper Pride Smallness of Soul

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 Ambitiousness Proper Ambition Lack of Ambition
Irascibility Good Temper Lack of Spirit
Boastfulness Truthfulness Self depreciation
Buffoonery Wittiness Boorishness
Obsequiousness Friendliness Surliness
Bashfulness Modesty Shamelessness
Envy Proper Indignation Malice

A truly virtuous action is performed by someone who is not simply compelled to do so. A person
does a virtuous act and chooses to act in such a way for the sake of being virtuous. This choice comes
from a certain firmness of character that is not easily swayed by one's passions or influenced by certain
factors in a given situation. A virtuous person is someone who has been so used to acting virtuously that
it becomes tremendously difficult for anything or anyone to convince him/her to act otherwise. To a
certain degree, vices are no longer an option for a truly virtuous person. Such a person actively keeps
himself/herself disposed towards the mean by way of habituation (ethos). Only a virtuous person can
perform truly virtuous actions because he/she is initially predisposed towards virtue.
It should be noted that certain actions admit no middle- point or mesotes. Some actions are
simply bad, and so there is no "virtuous" way of performing them. Acts like adultery, theft, and murder
are bad in themselves and cannot be deemed virtuous in any situation. There is no right way committing
adultery, with the right person, at the right time. Adultery is simply wrong. The mean only applies to
actions and dispositions that are not bad in and of themselves.

LEARNING ACTIVITY

Answer the following questions concisely in a separate sheet of paper.

a.) 1. What does happiness mean for Aristotle and why does he consider it as the chief good of the
human person?
2. What is virtue and what is its place in the ethical theory of Aristotle?
3. How do you understand the meaning of character? How is it relevant in making moral choices.
4. Can you think of a real-life example of a virtuous person? Why do you consider him/her to be so?
5. How can you apply Aristotle’s ethics in improving the current state of your country?

b.) Evaluate the table of the principal virtues and vices. Identify and reflect on your personal experiences
where you may have engaged in some of the vices listed there. What factors led to your having such
dispositions in these experiences?

REFERENCES
Pasco, Marc Oliver. Et al. General Education: Ethics. C & E Publishing, Inc.,2018
Aristotle. Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Trans. Robert C. Batlett and Susan D. Collins. Chicago:
Chicago University Press, 2011

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