VIRTUE ETHICS

 VIRTUE THEORY – is an ethical theory that

emphasizes an individual’s character rather than
following a set of rules.

 CHARACTER – is a concept that each person

possesses a distinctive grouping of traits.
 NICHOMACHEAN ETHICS – ethical virtue
developed by Aristotle.
Why do we need to be a GOOD PERSON? Be
VIRTUOUS?
Reason: EUDAIMONIA
 For Aristotle, there is PROPER
FUNCTIONING, everything has a function. It is
good when it reaches its potential function bad if
it is not.
 Example: knife for cutting. It is good if it can cut,
bad if not.
 The same goes to human that has proper
functioning as well.
 For Aristotle, human is both RATIONAL
ANIMAL and a SOCIAL ANIMAL.

 Rational Animal means having the ability to

think, to reason out.

 Social Animal means human are naturally born

incline to live and get along with other humans.
 It is within our nature. The same goes to the idea
that we are naturally born to be virtuous. It is not
inborn or humans are not born with moral virtues.

 VIRTUOUS – means doing the right thing at the

right time, in the right way, in the right amount,
toward the right people.
IS IT POSSIBLE?

YES!
 The reason is if you are virtuous you know
what to do ALL THE TIME. You know how to
handle yourself and how to get along with the
others.

 It is a character that once develops it will

produce good behavior.
 TYPES OF VIRTUES

INTELLECTUAL VIRTUES: it is acquired by

teaching and requires foresight and sophisticated
intelligence. Ex. philosophical wisdom,
understanding and prudence (practical wisdom)

MORAL VIRTUES: it is the goodness of character

formed by habit. One becomes good by doing good.
Ex. temperance, courage, justice, truthfulness and
liberality.
Moral Virtue is a midpoint between TWO
EXTREMES: EXCESS (too much) and
DEFICIENCY (too less) it is known also as the
PRINCIPLE OF THE GOLDEN MEAN
In Aristotle’s ethical theory, the moral virtues are concerned
with both the feelings and the actions of a person. Aristotle
describes that how we handle our feelings, and the rational
judgment we use in developing our virtues, are important for
human flourishing (i.e., important for ethics, living an ethical
life). In Aristotle’s view, each human being possesses a soul, a
rational soul. The rational soul provides human beings with the
capacity to control their feelings, either well or poorly. If
feelings are controlled well, then virtues develop; if feelings
are controlled poorly, then vices develop and stand in the way
of flourishing.
 Vice – A character trait that stands in the way of
one’s flourishing.

 Virtue – A character trait that contributes to one’s

flourishing. Examples include generosity,
integrity, honesty, and patience.
 Example: COURAGE. The excess of it is recklessness and the
deficiency is cowardice.
 The issue is about how one handles fear. If one is overcome with
fear, then one will be cowardly. On the other hand, if one ignores
fear altogether, that is the other extreme: one is fearless or rash.
Excellence is navigating between the two extremes. Since we are
rational creatures we are in a position to control our behavior. If
we allow feelings to overcome us, we are not in control. On the
other hand, if we deny that we have certain feelings then we are
denying our own human nature, which is not a rational thing to
do, but rather a foolish and irrational thing to do.
HOW TO BECOME VIRTUOUS?
 Virtue is a skill, a way of living, and that’s
something that can only really be learned through
experience.
 Character is developed through habituation – if
you do a virtuous thing over and over again,
eventually it will become part of your character.
 A moral virtue is a trait that gets developed by
HABIT.
 HABIT - The concept that repeated actions
eventually become second nature, because over
time repeated actions will require less effort. A
moral virtue is a good habit.
Good habits (virtues) are the building blocks of
good moral character. Humans are born with the
potential, and they are also born with the power to
control their own actions and to guide their own
moral, physical, and mental development. Good
habits (virtues) contribute to one’s growth and
development as a person.
In Aristotle’s developmental model, the idea of a
role model (mimesis in Greek) is also seen as very
important. This is because one of the natural ways
that human beings learn is by imitating others.
Think of the expression “monkey see, monkey do.”
 With the help of role models we learn which virtues
are important and we also learn what kinds of actions
one engages in when one has a particular virtue.
 ROLE MODEL (Moral Exemplars)–is a concept of
a role model is a person who possesses and thus
displays developed character traits.
 The only problem now is how to choose a role model.
Why do we need to be a GOOD PERSON? Be
VIRTUOUS?

Reason: EUDAIMONIA
 It is said the pinnacle of humanity. It means
HAPPINESS in simple translation. In some terms
it means A WELL LIVED and HUMAN
FLOURISHING.
 It is a life of striving and pushing yourself to your
limits and finding success. It is full of happiness
that comes from achieving something really
difficult rather than just having it handed to you.
A eudaimonistic life is not like a walk in the park,
an easy life to do. There are a lot of
disappointments and difficulties you may encounter
but the fruits of overcoming them is the best thing
to have.
CONCLUSION
 With regard to the philosophical problem of the origins of
ethics, Aristotle’s virtue ethics claims that ethical
standards come from a combination of human nature and
society; ethical standards do not come from God or religion.
Ethical standards are not solely derived from one’s society
because there is a universal human nature that cannot be
totally ignored. Human flourishing cannot solely be
determined by what a society decides because human
flourishing and well‐being are tied to human nature. Societal
standards that are contradictory to human nature would not
lead to human happiness.
 It is easy to see how Aristotle’s virtue ethics also provides
a solution to the problem of human nature. Not only does
he argue that there is a universal human nature, but Aristotle
goes some way toward filling in some details about what
that human nature consists in, beginning with the
observation that all human beings are striving after
happiness. And, as we have seen, Aristotle describes human
beings as rational animals and as social/political animals.
As rational beings, humans can control their feelings and
actions, and can choose what kinds of habits they will
develop.
 When faced with the philosophical problem of
relativism and its main question – “Is ethics relative to
society?” – someone might simply respond that, yes,
ethics and virtues are always relative. Aristotle, though,
when faced with the relativist question, might answer,
“Yes” and “No.” As an ethical universalist, Aristotle will
say that cultural relativism may be true because we do
observe diversity among cultures, but ethical relativism
couldn’t be true because there are some virtues that are
important to have, no matter what culture one belongs to.
 Finally, as a solution to the problem of conduct,
virtue ethics answers questions about how to
determine the right thing to do and how one
should live a life, and what counts as a life lived
well, and what kind of person I should become,
in terms of virtues and universal human nature. A
trait is virtuous if it is a product of our
developed natural potential and if it
contributes to our happiness, well‐being, and
flourishing.