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Gen2003 L4 2019-2020 S2
Gen2003 L4 2019-2020 S2
2019-2020
GEN2003 Ethics
Lecture 4
Virtue Ethics
Question on Virtue Ethics
Why should we talk about Virtue Ethics today?
1) Crisis of Morality in Modern Society
- Nihilism
→ the Absence of the Absolute Moral Values
- Capitalism
→ Reducing Human Beings and Everything to Commodities
2) The Study of Ethics and its Problem
- Moral Legalism (ref. Deontology)
→ Reducing Morality to Moral Rules: Do and Don’t !
e.g. Deontological Ethics (Kantian Ethics)
- Moral Consequentialism
→ Focusing Morality on Consequences instead of Purposes
e.g. Utilitarian Ethics
The Rise of Virtue Ethics in the 20th Century
How to attain Happiness or Good life?
The Revival of Virtue Ethics
the criticism of Utilitarianism and Deontology in the 60s of the
20th century
Virtue Ethics: it is not so much what you have done as what
kind of person you are
Utilitarianism and Deontology put too much emphasis on
Interests (Instrumental Reason) and Rules (Logical Reason)
Neglect other values, in particular that of human nature/
character
Their aims are not able to reflect the complexity of moral life
Problem of Deonology: Rules cannot motivate people to do the
correspondent act easily
Why Virtue Ethics is important?
Virtue Ethics concerns not about what right act should we
act but about what sort of person we want to become, not
like Kantian Ethics on moral motive nor Utilitarianism on
the consequence of interest.
Deontology:
What act should a rational man do?
Virtue Ethics:
What sort of person should I be?
3 Types of Normative Ethics
Conclusion:
A virtuous man is one that lives in accordance
with reason.
What is Virtue? Aristotle answers…
It is neither a feeling nor a capacity
It is a state of a thing which constitutes its
peculiar excellence and enables it to perform its
function well
The excellence of a kind of thing
In man virtue is the activity of reason and of
rationally ordered habits
Aristotle: Introduction
Ancient Greek Philosopher (384–322 BC)
His writings on Ethics:
1. Nicomachean Ethics
2. Eudemian Ethics
3. Magna Moralia
4. Politics
15
Two Types of Virtues
1) Moral Virtues (virtues of character)
- developed by moral training / habits (ethos)
2) Intellectual Virtues (virtues of mind)
- developed by education or teaching
16
Three types of people
1. People who love pleasure (living for
themselves);
2. People who love honour (living for others);
3. People who love contemplation (living for
knowledge)
Virtues and Teleology
-Aristotle wonders to ask:
- What is the Aim of Human Life?
- All things have “telos”: its own nature, aim
or end
- Human nature: Human being has telos!
18
Teleology
Everything has an end or purpose or ‘good.’
Act End
Happiness
Teleological Nature
All things have “telos” (a design and purpose).
We know the nature of things by their end.
The nature of seed can be told by the fruit.
Seed => Tree => Flower => Fruit
22
Aristotle is concerned with act / action because
it is conducive to human good. Every act aims
at some goods and the ultimate end or good of
human life is happiness.
24
Characteristics of
Virtue Ethics
Takes account of differences between people.
27
Practice of Virtues
- How do we cultivate our moral virtues?
- Practice of Virtues: Moral Training
- Aim of Practice
→ one can realize that the virtue is good in itself and
constitutes the character of one’s self / identity in the
community
→ one can undergo self-transformation by repeating the
habitual act and internalize virtues in one’s life
- What are these virtues we acquire from the practice?
28
Example: Honesty (telling the truth)
Good Honesty
Doctrine of the Mean
31
Doctrine of the Mean
- Virtue as Mean
→ a middle state or an intermediate condition
between two extremes of vices, either excess or
defect
32
A state of character arises from the repetition of similar
activities.
E.g., some one would need ten pieces of bread for breakfast
but another would need only two. Both are satisfied with
their relative amount of bread.
36
Table of Virtues and Vices
Emotion / Action Vice: Excess Virtue: Mean Vice: Defect
37
Evaluating Virtue Ethics
Are there any universally valuable traits?
Is it better to do the
right thing or to
want to do the right
thing for the right
reason?
- Virtue ethics focuses primarily on
moral character, and asks “what kind
of person should I be or become?”