Virtue Ethics is under Module 4: Moral 

Theories and Ethical Frameworks. 

Topic 1 is Virtue Ethics: Aristotle: Character, the Golden Mean, and Cardinal Virtues. 
However, we initially discussed Nicomachean Ethics Book 2 because Aristotle’s Theory 
of the Golden Mean is the best ethical theory that we can use in evaluating Filipino
Values with greater clarity.

Aristotle was a son of a doctor. His interest on nature is acquired from his father. Aristotle observed
nature. From his experience, he claimed that everything has its own “natural law” or nature! Philosophers
look at nature as a whole. It was observed that there is order, regularity or pattern or design in nature.
They conclude that the world, the universe is COSMOS, well ordered, beautiful. In fact, the word cosmetic
is derived from the word cosmos, because it is used to make one appear to be beautiful. Cosmos,
cosmetics mean order and the order is beautiful.

Now, if the norm of the universe is beautiful, we human beings are also called to live a beautiful life.
Humans are considered as microcosm, a small universe that reflects its beauty. Good is also beautiful!
We have norms about what is good. There are norms on how to act according to propriety. Everything fits
according to order or to its proper place. Interestingly, human language reflects the beauty of our actions.
“Maayo, bagay, bumabagay. maganda ang ugali, “nindot og kinaiya”. Our life as work of art. “Maganda
ang ginagawa.” Human beings can make ourselves like the cosmos, a beautiful work of art, to live as
good person, a moral person.

Aristotle's philosophy is teleological. For him, every being has its own nature or telos or end or purpose.
Nature is revealed through one’s actions intended to achieve its goal or purpose. For Aristotle, it is in
achieving one’s telos that makes one happy. The nature of human beings, in particular, is to live
according to reason. Collectively, in a well ordered society, all members perform their respective roles
according to reason..

The pattern is:

NATURE---> ACTIVITY ---> TELOS --->HAPPINESS

What makes one happy?

Answer: When one achieve one’s purpose in life.

If we want to know a person, we can do so through his activities. In this connection, Hexis is an ancient
Greek word which means habit. Habit is important in the moral philosophy of Aristotle. Accordingly, to
turn myself as a good person, I must do beautiful repetitive acts. In this case, repetitive acts are a matter
of culture.

In this connection, according to Aristotle, the first nature of human beings is rational. The second nature
of being human is culture or habit. This requires to be cultivated.

Question: How to develop our second nature? The answer is to connect an old habit (habit 1) which is
already established in our system and a new habit (habit 2) so that the new habit will become established
soon also.

For example, you already developed the habit of brushing your teeth every after meal. Now, you wanted
to develop the habit of taking your medicine daily. However, you are a very forgetful person. Many times
you forget taking your medicine. To avoid forgetting, attach the old habit of brushing your teeth to
the new habit of taking medicine right after brushing your teeth
THE RULE OF LAWS

Laws are made to cultivate habit. The very purpose of the law is to create good habits among the people.
Laws cultivate society also. Thus, legislators must make citizens good by creating good laws.

The habit formation of the young people, the youth will make all the difference. In other words, what
happen when we are young makes all the difference. Indeed, the significant experiences when we are
young shape us.

To remove a vice, we have to make an extra effort opposite from the vice.

According to Aristotle, the excess and deficiency are vices.Vices even if they are small parts, they can
destroy the important or the bigger parts of our life in favor of the small parts.

The Small Parts The Bigger Parts

Vices ….vs….Virtues

Smoking vs Health
Gambling vs Time and money spent with significant persons
Womanizing/Nanlalalaki vs Persons
Drinking Alcohol vs Mental Health
Dangerous drugs vs Health, life

“Virtue, then, is a state of character concerned with choice, lying in a mean, i.e. the mean relative
to us, this being determined by a rational principle, and by that principle by which the man of
practical wisdom
would determine it.”

Virtue is the mean, the intermediary point between extremes. Virtue is not arithmetical mean. It is relative
to the person. It requires subjectivity (“kalooban,” “kabobot-on”). The person in that situation is the
only one who knows best.

Case:

The family lives in Manila. They are given One (1) free day to go on vacation. The mother wants to go to
Bulacan to visit her old parents. However, the children wants to go fishing. Mean: To go to Bulacan and
have the fishing there.

CULTURE (KALINGANGAN): HABIT, we cultivate ourselves, we repeat our actions to have a habit.

VICE: Deficiency/ Excess. These are just small parts but they can dominate the whole. This is precisely
because vice has a compulsive element which makes it very addictive. Thus, this addition to the small
parts like addiction to drugs, smoke, pambabae/panlalaki/pornography, mobile legend or even Netflix
series, can have the power to destroy the bigger parts of our being. So, let us be very careful in dealing
with our addictions. 

What is the best remedy against vices? The answer according to Aristotle is virtue!
VIRTUE: 
1. This has an element of a CHOICE- a choice to be moderate. This requires certain reflection to make a
deliberate choice.

2. The choice is the mean relative to us, that is, the person making the choice. This includes details of the
situation to be analyzed.

3. There is reasoning process involved. This is according to the reason of practical wisdom. This means
willing the right decision that we make.

HOW TO TEACH WISDOM?

Wisdom as the ability to choose the highest good can be taught by examples. One must demonstrate. We
have this expression: “Values are not taught but caught.” This means that values can be shared by
means of examples, case study and stories or “sugilanon.” As teachers, it is important to read a lot of
stories for our students.

Wisdom is derived from experience. For example, we need to be cautious because there is danger in
walking alone in a strange place. It is dangerous. That is an exercise of practical wisdom my dear
students. Do not put yourself in danger.

The point that Aristotle is trying to draw is, the more we practice virtue, the more it becomes part of
ourselves. They become our second nature. Later, it will become instinctive or automatic.

CONTEMPORARY BRAIN THEORY

Neurons, the specialized cell for information processing are the building blocks of the nervous system.
These neurons established connections with each other. The more we repeat our decisions and actions,
the more it will establish the connections between neurons done by the neurotransmitters. The conclusion
that we can draw here is, “we create ourselves by the choices that we make.”

A MORALLY VIRTUOUS ACT

“Objectively, a morally virtuous action for Aristotle consists of a measured activity, following the rule of
the “just middle” (mesotes), nether deficient nor excessive, with reason ordering the desires and passions
into a harmonious whole. Thus, for example, the virtue of courage consists of an activity which neither
pusillanimous nor reckless, but steadfast in the face of danger, thereby manifesting the excellence of man
and of the human spirit. 

Subjectively, virtue is an activity which proceeds from a certain proper disposition acquired by constant

practice, where the doing of the virtuous act has become a kind of second nature, the action being posed
firmly and surely, without fail and without any doubt or hesitation. For Aristotle, an act done after going
through agonizing doubts and temptations is a sign that a man has not acquired mastery over his
unruly desires and passions.”

Furthermore, a virtuous act is one that proceeds from right intention. This means that the action is desired
for its own sake and not for some ulterior motive beyond the action itself.  

For Aristotle, a moral virtue is a rational measured activity following the rule of the “just middle,”
motivated by right intention and proceeding from a permanent disposition acquired through
repeated exercise of the act.
The above definition of moral virtue is not yet complete. What is the norm for “just middle”? what
is the norm for right intention? What is the norm for permanent disposition to form what kind of activity
finally? A permanent disposition without a rule or norm could either be a virtue or vice.

PRACTICAL REASON

Aristotle, proposes, apart from the moral virtues, a kind of master virtue, a virtue of virtues so to speak,
namely practical wisdom (phronesis). Practical wisdom, for Aristotle, means knowledge on one hand,
which participates in the act of contemplation, and action on the other hand which is akin to moral virtues.
As knowledge, practical wisdom provides insight to the truth, regarding intrinsic truth and excellence and
beauty of the action to be done.  

[Ramon Castillo Reyes, Ground and Norm of Morality: Ethics for College Students. Quezon City: Ateneo
De Manila University press, 1989) 38-39.]

DISPOSITION: A state of character, an existential readiness to do something good!

Disposition is preparing oneself. Let us dispose ourselves to do something good.

Interestingly, VIRTUE creates that disposition so that when the time comes to decide, things will be easy
and almost automatic since it is already a deep seated habit which has become our second nature. 

PREPARATION will help create a good and successful student/ teacher/ professional.

At the end of the day, the best performer is usually reserved to the one who is most prepared.

How to build a good disposition?

Visit an artist, paintings, churches, because works of arts give balance.

In other words, virtue is a work of art! In this regard, athletics is important in developing virtues, 
that is, to balance the body, we need to do physical exercises. 
Athletics can be used to develop the cardinal virtue of temperance.

THE THEORY OF THE GOLDEN MEAN

In Filipino we call it MEDYO, not the mathematical MEDYA. Medyo is the appropriation 
according to the situation where the subject finds oneself in.

PROBLEM: It is difficult to find the MEAN. But, the good

thing is, the VICES, the two extremes are easily recognized. Therefore, to find
the mean is to avoid both extremes: the deficient and the excess! So, it is in
avoiding both extremes that will lead us to the mean. The two extremes are
usually the awkward and improper situations. When there is something wrong, it
is the sense of smell that will remind us! We can detect it because that
something is against our nature.

My dear students, if you are already on the habit of doing good all the time, you will
notice later on that when a person has an evil plan against you, even before doing 
any overt evil act, you can sense that something wrong is about to happen. 
Of course, there is a spiritual dimension to this claim, but I have noticed it and the same 
is true with the testimonies of the holy persons that I have known. The natural way to
explain it is that it is against our nature which is good!

Let us now examine our Filipino Values

PAGKUKULANG --------BITUD------- PAGMAMALABIS

________________Magiliw sa Bisita________________
________________Pakikisama________________
________________Hiya________________
________________Relihiyoso________________
________________Makapamilya________________
________________Utang na Loob________________
________________Magalang sa Matanda________________

The two extremes are the vices. The terms for the opposite, the excess and the deficiency, are
derogatory, source of laughter or indignation. For this reason, it is easy to identify them.

Questions:

1. Bakit nakakatuwa ang pagmamalabis at pagkukulang?

2. Kung madali makikita ang mga bisyo at mahirap Makita ang mga birtud, paano makakarating sa
birtud?

In this connection class, we have to be always attentive to recognize what other people have to say. We
are not usually reflective over our own actions and decisions. Maybe other people can help us see more
our deficiencies and excesses. Other people are good observers. So, let us listen to them for fraternal
corrections.