VIRTUE

ETHICS
 VIRTUE
Latin word “virtus”
Greek word "arete
which means
moral excellence of intellect or
character.
 Virtue ethics pertains to questions of

“ What sort of person must I be to
achieve my life’s purpose?”
 and “ What makes one a good or
excellent person?”
 rather than “ What is right or good to
do based on my duty or to achieve
good consequences?”
VIRTUE ETHICS
 The primary focus is the heart of the
moral agent making the decision
rather than the reasoning to a right
action.

 Placesits focus on the sorts of

characteristics, traits or virtues that a
good person should have.
 Aristotle, the Greek
philosopher, was one of the
most influential thinkers
in regard to virtue ethics.
FOR ARISTOTLE, THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF
VIRTUE:

Namely :
1. Intellectual virtue arises from
teaching and through the reflection
of theoretical moral truths

2. Moral virtue arises as a

consequence of habit or of one’s
habitual choice of action
ARISTOTLE’S TRAITS OF A VIRTUOUS
CHARACTER PROVIDED:

1. Virtuous acts must be chosen for

their own sakes
2. Choice must proceed from a firm and
unchangeable character
3. Virtue is a disposition to choose the
mean.
 ARISTOTLE
believed that for a person to
develop moral character,
personal effort, training and
practice must occur.
 PLATO
believed that
wisdom is the
basic virtue
and with it,
one can unify
all virtues into
a whole.
PLATO HAS FOUR BASIC VIRTUES:

1. Wisdom –arises in the rational soul

2. Courage – spiritual soul
3. Temperance – appetitive soul
4. Justice – observance of duty and
righteousness
 VIRTUES OF THE HEALTHCARE PROVIDER

1. Compassion
- This is a trait that combines an
attitude of active regard for another’s
welfare with an imaginative
awareness & an emotional response of
deep sympathy, tenderness &
discomfort at the other’s misfortune or
suffering
VIRTUES OF THE HEALTHCARE PROVIDER

2. Discernment
- Includes the ability to make
judgments & reach decisions without
being unduly influenced by
extraneous considerations, fear or
personal attachments.
- Is an essential component of care. It
is a talent & an ability to understand
what needs to be done for patients.
VIRTUES OF THE HEALTHCARE PROVIDER

3. Trustworthiness
- To trust someone is to have a confident
belief in & reliance upon the ability & moral
character of another person.

- Trust entails confidence that another will

act with the right motives in accord with
moral norms.
VIRTUES OF THE HEALTHCARE PROVIDER

4. Integrity

- By integrity, we mean soundness, reliability,

wholeness & integration of moral character.

- An individual with integrity is endowed with

values that are consistent & constant in
practice. People with integrity easily win
friendship & reliance from others.
VIRTUES OF THE HEALTHCARE PROVIDER

5. Fidelity

- Derived from the Latin word “fidelitas”

which means faithfulness.

- Also means faithfulness to one’s

obligations, duties, and responsibilities. It
means accuracy or exact correspondence
with a given condition or quality.
VIRTUES OF THE HEALTHCARE PROVIDER

6. Honesty

- Derived from the Latin word “ honestus”

which means honor.
- As a healthcare provider must pursue
honesty. He/she is supposed to be sincere,
truthful, straightforward, decent, comely,
tidy, open
VIRTUES OF THE HEALTHCARE PROVIDER

7. Humility

- According to G.K. Chesterton, “ Humility

was largely meant as the restraint upon the
arrogance and infinity of the appetite”.

- A humble healthcare provider is one who

ceases to think of his/her own needs as
he/she transcends his attention to the
needs of the patients.
VIRTUES OF THE HEALTHCARE PROVIDER

8. Respect
- In many instances, respect is paired with
fear, giving raise to questions like “ are you
afraid of the person that is why you respect
him or do you have respect for the person that
is why you are afraid of him?”

- The healthcare provider must earn the

respect of his/her patients for him/her to
become a strong catalyst for the healing
process of the patient
VIRTUES OF THE HEALTHCARE PROVIDER

9. Prudence
- Is one of the cardinal virtues according to St.
Agustine.
- It is defined as an exercise of good judgment,
common sense, and caution in the conduct of
practical matters.
- The healthcare provider exercises wisdom,
discretion and carefulness to avoid
embarrassing and distressing situations
VIRTUES OF THE HEALTHCARE PROVIDER

10. Courage

- Defined as “ the quality of mind or spirit

that enables a person to face difficulty,
danger, and pain without fear
- He/she is expected to be bold in undertaking a
very sensitive job
- E.g. taking care of the sick requires self-
sacrifice and dedication to effect a caring
presence, attention, and a courageous
commitment to render healthcare.
  Nursing is a work of
intimacy
 Nursing practice requires
you to be in contact with
patients physically,
emotionally,
psychologically and
spiritually.
VALUE
 Isa personal belief about the worth of a
given idea, attitude, custom or object that
sets standards that influence behavior.

 To
negotiate differences of value, it is
important to be clear about your own values,
what you value, why and how you respect your
own values.
Values in nursing encompass
appreciating what is important
for both the profession and
nurses personally, as well as
what is important for patients.
 ETHICAL
ANALYSIS AND
DECISION MAKING
IN NURSING
 Ethicalissues and dilemmas are ever
present in healthcare settings.

 Many times, ethical issues are so

prevalent in practice that nurses do
not even realize that they are making
minute-by-minute ethical decisions.
VALUES CLARIFICATION

Ethical dilemmas almost always occur

in the presence of conflicting values.

 Toresolve ethical dilemmas one

needs to distinguish among value,
fact and opinion.
• An ethical dilemma is a moral
situation in which a choice has
to be made between two
equally undesirable
alternatives.