Chapter Eight

Virtue Ethics
Chapter 8: Virtue Ethics
Virtues and Everyday Life
◦ Virtues push us to be what we ought to be
rather than what we ought to do.
What is Virtue?
◦ The virtuous life focuses on character
◦ According to Aristotle: intellectual virtues
and moral virtues
Virtues and Everyday Life
Virtues push us to be what we ought
to be rather than what we ought to do.
Virtues allow us to express our
highest potential.
Virtue ethics: concerned with those
traits of character, habits, tendencies,
and dispositions that make a person
good
Aristotle
Aristotle’s theory of ethics and morality:
also stressed the notion of virtue (i.e.
excellence)
Two types of virtue:
◦ Intellectual virtue: excellences of the mind
◦ Moral virtues: dispose us to act well
Virtue as a Mean
Golden Mean: Aristotle – virtue is a
mean (average) between extremes.
Cardinal virtues – four basic virtues:
◦ Prudence/wisdom
◦ Justice
◦ Temperance
◦ Courage
Nature, Human Nature, and the Human
Good
Aristotle’s teleological view: there is an
inherent order in nature.
Eudaimonia: ultimate good of humans is
happiness, blessedness, or prosperity.
Aristotle: to function well as humans,
must use knowledge and wisdom
Cross-Cultural and Contemporary Virtue
Ethics
Confucius: Chinese tradition of virtue;
there are specific virtues for each role.
Hinduism: five basic moral virtues
Buddhism and Christianity: moral virtues
Contemporary philosophy: virtue is
corrective, helps us perform personally
difficult tasks.
Evaluating Virtue Ethics
Question: are there any universally
valuable traits?
Foot’s dilemma: how are virtues
demonstrated?
Is virtue ethics really a distinct type of
ethics?
Kant: there is no Golden Mean; some
things are praiseworthy and others are
wrong.
What do virtue ethics say about those
who do not reach the ideal?