Virtue ethics

BY: GROUP 2 (BSN 1B)

VIRTUE ETHICS

• It is person rather than action based: it

looks at the virtue or moral character of the
person carrying out an action, rather than at
ethical duties and rules, or the
consequences of particular actions.
ARISTOTLE

• Aristotle was a Greek philosopher.

• He was a student of Plato and is known for his
ideas on politics, government, and often most
notably, ethics.
• Aristotle's perspective on ethics was based on
the virtue of being human; in other words, virtue
ethics.
VIRTUE ETHICS IS CHARACTER FOCUS

•Character-focused theories (virtue

ethics) start with the question “how
should I be?”
•The answer to that question determines
the answer to the follow-up question
“what should I do?”
VIRTUE ACCORDING TO ARISTOTLE:

•Aristotle defines virtue as the

average, or 'mean,' between excess
and deficiency. Basically, he says,
the idea of virtue is ''all things in
moderation.''
Virtue ethics deals with broader
questions like:
• What kind of life should I live?
• What is the good life?
• How can I be consistent in my moral actions?
Instead of questions like:
❖What ought I do? ( As in the case of deontological ethics)
❖Will my actions produce greater happiness to the greater
number of people in society? (As in the case of
consequentialism)
Therefore,…
• Virtue ethics in general does not particularly
deal with the rightness or wrongness of
specific actions
• Rather with the aid of practical wisdom ,
virtue ethics guided the moral agent in
seeking the good.
GOODNESS

•What’s a good widget like?

•What exactly means for something

or some one to be good ?
 GOODNESS

-What makes
some thing good
depends on what
sort of thing it is.
GOODNESS
HUMAN NATURE AND VIRTUE

• Humans are rational, empathetic, social, curious,

cooperative, etc.
• A virtuous person exercises rationality well, is
bothered when others suffer, cooperates socially
with other humans, is an avid reader, etc.
VIRTUE AND RIGHT ACTION

• Once we have a rich picture of the virtuous

person, we are better equipped to figure out
what he or she would do in a given situation.
• Accurate reflection of human moral experience?
BEYOND RIGHT ACTION
-
COMPONENTS OF VIRTUE
2. Emotions
• Your emotions guide you in the right direction
• Human suffering tugs at your heart and compels you to
take action
• You celebrate the achievements of loved one

• But you have them under control

• Anger management
• Impulse control
3. Natural inclination to act well
• Virtuous behavior is an expression of your deep
desires and values
• No need to battle against contrary inclinations
• Virtue > Self-Control
4. Practical Wisdom
• The ability to reason well about complicated problems
in the real complex world
• More than book smarts, calculation skills, or IQ
• Requires life experience
• Children cannot be fully
virtuous
 (EUDAIMONIA)
• Happiness is the final purpose, the end goal, the chief
good. Everything we do, we do for the sake of being
happy.
• Happiness is an activity, not a state or feeling.
• “He is happy who is active in accordance with complete
virtue, and is sufficiently equipped with external goods,
not for some chance period but throughout a complete
life”
VIRTUE (ARETE)

• Virtue is an excellent
habit or state of
character that disposes
one to find and choose
the mean with respect to
a given passion or
action.
VICES

• The word vices can be defined as a bad

habit or ongoing pattern of behavior that
represents moral weakness or depravity.
Some vices are actions often considered to
be evil or wicked, while others are more
self-indulgent in nature.
EXAMPLE:
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!