Virtue ethics

Aristotle
telos
Virtue as habit
happiness as virtue
Overview
 Telos

Aristotle maintained that all things in nature have

a goal or purpose for which they strive.
Acorns are meant to be trees-Eyes are meant for
seeing.
He called this goal the “final cause” or “Telos”
 The Goal of Human Beings

Happiness is the goal of human life (telos). It is

always the ultimate reason why any person does
what he/she does.
It is the only thing we seek for its own sake.
Happiness has subjective and objective elements:
 Aristotle on Character

People have a set character:

“A fairly stable sets of attitudes, opinions and
dispositions that result in fairly stable patterns or
ways of acting and reacting.”
Leads us to ask:
How is character formed?
How can we improve character?
 Virtuous People

Are in control of their passions.

They have learned the pleasure of helping others and
not being controlled by their passions.
They have balance in their life:
Cowardice—Courage—Foolhardy
Pride—Proper humility—Self-hatred
Seek the opposite to find a balance!
 Seven Deadly Sins and Contrasting Virtues

Pride------------Humility
Anger-----------Kindness
Greed----------Generosity
Envy-------------Love
Gluttony-------Temperance
Lust-------------Self-Control
Sloth--------------Zeal
 Virtue as habits

With respect to the moral virtues, Aristotle thinks

we “learn by doing”.
Virtue requires discipline and practice.
Repeated virtuous actions help to engrain the
character traits or dispositions that make a person
virtuous.
Making virtuous decisions requires good moral
judgment (reason), so there is an essential, rational
component as well.
 Virtue as habits

With respect to the moral virtues, Aristotle thinks

we “learn by doing”.
Virtue requires discipline and practice.
Repeated virtuous actions help to engrain the
character traits or dispositions that make a person
virtuous.
Making virtuous decisions requires good moral
judgment (reason), so there is an essential, rational
component as well.
 happiness as virtue

For Greeks (and all subsequent virtue theories), the

goal of action is the ultimate human good: happiness
(eudaimonia).
Human happiness is to be understood as the highest
achievement of what it means to be human, of the
human essence. It is a kind of flourishing, health, or
well-being of the soul or mind.
 happiness as virtue

While happiness seems to be subjective,

the idea of human flourishing implies
an objective notion of happiness. (Think
of it on analogy with health.)
Virtue makes a person good, or
excellent, and so it is the means by
which we acquire happiness.