Aristotle’s

virtue ethics
Group2 BSIS2
The Revenger
Contents of this Topic
A. What is good? H. 5 Rights
=aim
=end
=highest good G. Importance of polis

B. ErgonSoul

C.(Plato's Theory of the Soul)

D. Morality?

E. Happiness

F. Habit/Habituation

Eudaimonia

G. Virtue (Aristotle's Table of Virtues)

Introduction

Because key words are great for catching

your audience’s attention
 Historical background
• Born 384 B.C. in Stagira, northern Greece
• Father Macedonian court physician.
• At age 17 went to Athens to study at Plato’s Academy.
• Left 20 years later when Plato died.
• Aristotle is a towering figure in ancient Greek philosophy, making contributions
to logic, metaphysics, mathematics, physics, biology, botany, ethics, politics,
agriculture, medicine, dance and theatre.
• He was a student of Plato who in turn studied under Socrates.
• He was more empirically-minded than Plato or Socrates and is famous for
rejecting Plato’s theory of forms.
• As a prolific writer and polymath, Aristotle radically transformed most, if not all,
areas of knowledge he touched.
• It is no wonder that Aquinas referred to him simply as “The Philosopher.”
What is virtue ethics? Aristotle Virtue
Virtue ethics is a philosophy developed by
Aristotle and other ancient Greeks. It is
the quest to understand and live a life of
moral character.

This character-based approach to morality

assumes that we acquire virtue through
practice. By practicing being honest,
brave, just, generous, and so on, a
person develops an honorable and moral
character. 
Let’s Now Discuss
Nicomachean ethics
Nicomachean ethics
In Nicomachean Ethics,
The Nicomachean Ethics
Aristotle notes that as a
is not only about
condition to be held
individual happiness. It
morally responsible, we
is about how someone
must have been acting
can achieve arete or
voluntarily. In particular,
excellence in character,
two elements must be
a requirement of a truly
true: a person must be
happy life. Excellence
in control of their
comes with certain
actions and also must
responsibilities to
be aware of what
oneself and to others.
they’re doing.into.
Why should I do the morally right thing?

Doing the morally right thing will make you happy. -

Aristotle
What does it mean to be happy? How do I be
happy?
Conclusion:
Happiness is exercising the virtue
- Aristotle

N.E Book 1 Section 2

N.E Book 1 Section 2
"if there is some end of the things we do, which we do desire for its own
sake( everything else being desired for the sake of this) and if we do not
choose everything for the sake of something else( for at that rate the
process would go on to infinity, so that our desire would be empty and
vain) clearly this must be the good and the chief good."
The things we desire for its own sake.
Section 5, Book 1 N.E, WHAT IS HAPPINESS?

Pleasure
Honour
Wealth
Possession of virtue
Pleasure- according to aristotle cannot be happiness because, simple creature, all that they can hope in terms
of their fulfillment is to feel pleasant feelings.
Honour- Comes from other people.
Wealth- is not something that we desire for its own sake.
Possession if virtues- The same as you asleep.
 WHAT IS HAPPINESS?

Happiness is exercising the virtue.

Section 7 Book 1 N.E
In section seven Book 1, He said that in order to exercise this
virtues
"One must perform his function well." Everything has a
function or telos.
What is the function of the Human?
- Distinctive to humans or unique.
-REASON, or being rational.

- to simplify, Aristotle said that it is by using your rationality or reason in order for you to exercise this virtues.
How did he come up with this conclusion?
Happiness is exercising the virtues.
-Aristotle
In section 2 book 1 N.E
-the good for a person👉whatever we desire for its own sake 👉eudaimonia or happiness.

In section 7 of book 1 N.E

-the good for a person👉is to perform his functions well 👉using reason or rationality 👉 exercising the virtues.
Aristotle’s aim was for everyone to lead what he called
the ‘good life’ and achieve happiness (eudaimonia).

. People are not just naturally ‘happy’ – you must work

for it.

. This good life could only be achieved by following the

virtues.

. If you follow the virtues then you are living according

to the Golden Mean (a balance between extremes of
behaviour)

. Today, different societies might have different virtues

that would lead to happiness (or more modern ways of
expressing the same things Aristotle did!)
What is good?
1. Aim( Good as the aim of action)
-Purpose or aim to which something moves (Telos).
2. End( the activity itself or beyond the activity)
-All things has a distinct function, everything has a telos.
-One has reached the end if it already performed its function.
3.Highest good.
-If There is some end of the things that we do, which we desire for its
own sake, then that must be the Highest good or the chief good.
The highest good
Aristotle believe that the ultimate good is
happiness, as it is the only thing that
meets the three means of a highest good.
It is an “final” due to making it the end of
everything achievable in action. It is an
“ultimate end” as it is choice worthy in its
own reasons not of what others think. It is
“self-sufficient” that all by itself it makes a
life choice worthy and does not lack
anything.
The ergon argument
Man's ergon, his defining character, lies in his
capacity for choice and action, so that his nature is
not wholly determinate. To live well, being human,
one must do their own living. The subject of ethical
discourse is the free man. In finding the way
through the labyrinth of the Aristotelian texts, focus
is placed on the questions, speculations, and,
occasionally, the answers related to the nature of
man, or, less abstractly, of men. It is suggested that
the ergon argument is a way of defining the subject
matter: what are these ‘men’ we are talking about?
The Sartrean's problem is that in thus describing
human identity, he has himself defined it .
Plato’s Theory of soul
About Plato
• Plato (424-328 BCE*) Athens, Greece..
• One of the first philosophers.
• Student of Socrates and a teacher of Aristotle.
• Helped lay the foundations of western culture.
• Plato was also a mathematician, writer of
philosophical dialogues, and founder of the
Academy in Athens.
Plato’s Ethics is Founded on his
Metaphysics
• Remember that metaphysics is the branch of
philosophy that studies what exists, what is
real, and what human nature is.
• Plato advances the notion of the “Tripartite
Soul,” in which we are all thought to be
made of three parts:
1. Appetite - wants and attraction
2. Spirit - passion and energy
3. Reason - the wise part that can control the other two
aspects of ourselves
Plato: Tripartite Souls
Logical /Logistikon
The first part of the
tripartite soul is logistikon.
This is the part of the soul
that loves logic, thought,
and rational learning. Plato
equated this part of the
soul with the temperament
associated with Athenians.
Spirited /Thymoeides
The second part of the soul is
called thymoeides, and this is
usually thought of as the most
spirited of the three parts. It is this
part of the soul that causes people
to experience strong emotions,
particularly anger and temper.
Appetitive /Epithymetikon

Finally, the third part of Plato’s soul

was called epithymetikon, and this is
thought of as the appetitive part. It is
the part of the human soul that
cannot resist appetites, including
those for food, power, and sex.
Morality

Aristotle defines moral virtue as a

disposition to behave in the right
manner and as a mean between
extremes of deficiency and
excess, which are vices. We learn
moral virtue primarily through
habit and practice rather than
through reasoning and instruction.
Happiness
According to Aristotle,
happiness consists in
achieving, through the course
of a whole lifetime, all the
goods — health, wealth,
knowledge, friends, etc. — that
lead to the perfection of
human nature and to the
enrichment of human life. This
requires us to make choices,
some of which may be very
difficult.
Habituation

ARISTOTLE SAID YOUR

CHARACTER IS DEVELOPED
THROUGH HABITUATION - IF
YOU DO A VIRTUOUS THING
OVER AND OVER AGAIN,
EVENTUALLY IT WILL
BECOME PART OF YOUR
CHARACTER.
Eudaimonia
A LIFE OF EUDAIMONIA IS A
LIFE OF STRIVING.IT'S A LIFE
OF PUSHING YOURSELF TO
YOURLIMITS, AND FINDING
SUCCESS. A EUDAIMONISTIC
LIFE WILL BE FULL OF THE
HAPPINESS THAT COMES
FROM ACHIEVING
SOMETHING REALLY
DIFFICULT, RATHER THAN
JUST HAVING IT HANDED TO
YOU.
Aristotle’s Table of the virtues
 Vice Virtue Vice
Deficiency Golden mean Excess

Cowardice Courage Recklessness

 Taking stock of

situation
TIME: 10:11PM

Location: outside of the

theater

Overview: large man mugging

older lady attempting to steal her
purse

OPTION: - intervene
- call for help Senior Mugger Me
-leave
"PART OF HAVING COURAGE IS BEING ABLE TO
RECOGNIZEWHEN, RATHER THAN STEPPING IN, YOU NEED TO
FIND AN AUTHORITY WHO CAN HANDLE A SITUATIONTHAT'S
TOO BIG FOR YOU TO TACKLE ALONE"
“The strong one doesn’t
win. The one that wins is
strong.”

–Shinichi Kudo
What exactly Does it mean to be Virtuous?

Aristotle Said: 5 rights

HAVING VIRTUE JUST MEANS
DOING THE RIGHT THING, AT
THE RIGHT TIME, IN THE RIGHT
WAY,IN THE RIGHT AMOUNT,
TOWARD THE RIGHT PEOPLE.
THERE’S NO NEED TO BE SPECIFIC, BECAUSE
IF YOU’RE VIRTUOUS, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO.
ALL THE TIME. YOU KNOW HOW TO HANDLE
YOURSELF AND HOW TO GET ALONG
WITH OTHERS. YOU HAVE GOOD JUDGMENT,
YOU CAN READ A ROOM, AND YOU KNOW
WHAT’S RIGHT AND WHEN.
Importance of Polis
According to Aristotle, the end of the happiness is
accomplished by living well throughout life as a
whole, and living well is a matter of rational
activity well performed. The end that a man has is
the end appropriate to his nature and it is also
stated that man by nature is a political animal.
Here the connection between humans as natural
moral creatures and their natural existence as
political creatures as well have raised questions.

The answer according to Aristotle is that human beings need certain

material conditions that depend on the division of labor and no
individual is self-sufficient. Thus, all forms of human association are
natural as long as they meet the material needs. The household is
natural, so is the village, so is the polis.
Thats all for today Thankkyouu

Leader: Argen S. Jalani

Members:

Pungutan, Al-aziz B.
Hambali, Delmhar M
Cormanes, Nur-ain T
Kadiri, Fhatimah Shanee’a U.
And always remember