Topic 2: Moral Character and Virtues

Nominal Duration: 45 mins.

Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this topic, the student must be able to:
1. explain the relationship between moral character and virtues;
2. justify why values are both caught and taught; and
3. distinguish character from reputation.

Introduction
Striving for moral virtue rests upon an individual’s moral character. His character is important in
moral choices because he cannot simply separate his character from his choice of actions. Every
action carries with it an imprint or a stamp of his character. For this reason, character affects
seriously his maturity in such a way that it determines the kind of moral choices he makes and the
kind of person he ought to be. Precisely, it is in character formation that one will not regret in the end
the virtuous life he has chosen.
Good character must be cultivated and brought to maturity so that somehow when he will be
confronted with moral decisions, he can determine seriously the right choices. Character then, is not
something bestowed by a higher being, neither a privilege to be enjoyed, but it is a task to be fulfilled
by constant struggle to do good. It demands a habitual inner renewal of the person because it is from
this that character is built.
Moral characters are dispositions of both the heart and mind to do virtuous acts. Max Scheler (2012)
would suggest that one lives in his acts, permeating every act with his peculiar character. This means
that an individual needs to evaluate each act he does if it helps him become a better person or not.
This is a challenge because the greatest problem a person encounters is the fact that he becomes an
alien to himself: pretending to be someone whom he is really is not. It is always a choice to prefer
and affirm higher values through being careful with his actions and always pattern them for the
realization and actualization of his own character as a person. What an individual needs to strive for
is to prove that principles should not be easily swayed by street people’s opinions, fake news, media
tricks, propaganda and selfish interests. Character is tested by a lot of moral struggles. One cannot
simply change decisions of personal sacrifice and toil for anything that will weaken his character.
This is where the role of family and community comes into play. An African adage would put it this
way: “it takes a village to raise a child.” Parents are directly responsible for the moral upbringing of
their children surrounded by different institutions that take care of the welfare of everyone. This
wider community of persons is where virtue is introduced and formed. It is a task and a challenge for
an individual to grow, develop and mature in character. 37
The Interplay of Moral Character and Virtue
The Greek word “virtue” means excellence. Socrates once noted that man should aim to learn to live
virtuously, and modern man is no exception: “The unexamined life is not worth living”. All are
encouraged to engage in a never ending task of doing what is good. His pupil Plato highlights four
virtues in particular, which were later called cardinal virtues: wisdom, courage, temperance and
justice. Other important virtues are fortitude, generosity, self-respect, good temper, and sincerity. In
addition to advocating good habits of character, we should also avoid acquiring bad character traits,
or vices, such as cowardice, insensibility, injustice and vanity.
Both Aristotle and Aquinas also believed that people have a desirable end goal or purpose and that
developing excellences of character (virtues) leads to human happiness and good moral reasoning.
Good is that which is done with good intention and with the knowledge that the results would be
good.
Going back to Aristotle, he used the term ‘virtue’ to express our moral obligations. Virtue may be
defined as any disposition of character or personality that an individual desires in him or others.
Virtues are means between deficiency and excess, or vices. He warns that we should avoid these
vices and focus on the mean, or virtue. which “is such as right reason declares it to be”. In others,
virtues are those depositions of character which an individual considers to be good. Character
development guides actions. In order to be of good character, then, once one knows the good, one
must also desire it. The will must desire and incline itself to the good. Our conscience guides us to
judging right or wrong action but that needs training and informing also. Conscience needs to know
the good and to be listened to in order for us to act according to it. To listen and to act both require
dispositions, desires, and tendencies ordered to the good (Mitchell, 2015). (Virtue Ethics will be
further discussed in Chapter 4).