MODULE 4 LESSON

4 VIRTUE ETHICS
 LEARNING OUTCOMES

During the learning engagement, you should be able to

● pinpoint with examples particular Filipino virtues;
● substantiate/refute all concepts on virtue ethics;
and
● agree/disagree on the Virtue Theory of Aristotle.
 Introduction
■ There’s a moral dictum which says, “Your ‘doing’ creates your
‘being’ and your ‘being’ directs your ‘doing.’” This simply
means that what you constantly do in life will gradually become
your character, your being. Another adage from an anonymous
writer which says, “Sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a
virtue; sow a virtue, reap a character, and sow a character, reap
a destiny.” If one constantly tells a lie, he/she becomes a liar but
if one constantly tells the truth, he/she becomes an honest
person. Hence, one becomes a virtuous person -- but this
requires constant and a life-long practice. In Christian morality,
this is called “freedom for excellence” (Socias, 2007:45).
■ In the religious realm, there is a question: does the
Blessed Virgin Mary, as a human person, exercise
her freedom? Mary’s fiat (YES) is her expression
of freedom. Her consistent yes to God’s will is an
epitome of the freedom of the children of God.
Mary has mastered herself and the exercise of her
freedom. Like any other normal human beings,
she has the choice but since she has self-mastery
she habitually chooses to do the good and the will
of God, that is, to love others and God.
■Virtue Ethics, is a particular moral
framework which is sometimes
called “‘character ethics’ for its
primary and special emphasis on the
acquisition and development of an
excellent or virtuous character”
(Fernandez 2018, 171). He
continued:
■ Virtue ethics is practically concerned with the whole
question of “what kind of person should I be?” rather
than the common and dominant ethical pursuit as to
the “right thing to do.” In fact, “[m]ost of the ancient
thinkers approach ethics by asking What traits of
character make someone a good person?” (Rachels &
Rachels 2015, 159) rather that asking what particular
principle can be applied in order to do what is right?
ACTIVITY:

Direction: Conduct a big group discussion on the

following: Virtue Ethics as Character Ethics, Virtue
as Habit, Virtue as Acquired and a Product of
Effort, Virtue, Reason and the Pursuit of
Happiness, Virtue and Golden Mean. Provide
sample situations.
 PROCESSING
Adapted from Fernandez 2018, 171-177)
Virtue Ethics as an Ethics of Character
■ Virtue ethics is a specific ethical theory that is originally
found in the philosophy of the ancient Greek thinker
Aristotle (384-332B.C.E.), undoubtedly one of history’s
greatest minds.
 Virtue is a Habit
■ Aristotle, virtue or excellence (from the Greek
work arête) is essentially a kind of “disposition”
to act well or excellently . “Virtues are special
moral qualities . . . [and] trained behavioral
dispositions that result in habitual acts of moral
goodness” (Pojman & Fieser 2017, 135).
■“Virtue is a trait of
character manifested in
a habitual action”
(Rachels & Rachels
2015, 161).
■ This means that a person or an individual
becomes good or moral not by doing a singular
act of goodness but by acting, or rather, by doing
the good repeatedly or regularly, so it will
become a habit.
■ A person can then be said to be good or moral if
she is a person of character. A person of character
embodies the positive qualities such as wisdom,
courage, temperance, justice, magnanimity, among
others. One’s personal character then is the result
or by-product of acts or deeds of repeated
goodness. One is a good person or a person of
virtue not really because of what one does but of
what one is. Being precedes doing.
■So when virtuous people are confronted
with certain or specific moral situations,
they will naturally do the right thing
precisely because doing the right thing is
part of who they are, of their character,
of their inner core. One does the good
precisely because one is good, not the
other way around.
■ So when people are said to be morally good, this
is so “because of their good character that enables
them to spontaneously do the right thing. [Thus],
there is a teleological (that is, “goal—oriented”)
aspect in virtue ethics, but it differs from the kind
usually found in utilitarianism, which asks what
sort of action will maximize happiness or utility.
 Virtue Is Acquired and a Product of Effort

■How do people become good and

virtuous? Is it something that they
are born with and thus innate? Or is
it something that is acquired,
learned, and developed?
■ For Aristotle, virtue is not something
that a person is born with. Rather it is
something that the individual has to
earn through effort, dedication, and
persistence. It is also something that is
achieved through and with others. One
cannot become virtuous apart from the
community.
■Thus, individuals are not born
good or evil. Becoming good or
evil is a matter of learning and
habit, through practice. Virtue
then is a developmental concept
and is intimately linked to our
striving for excellence.
 Virtue, Reason and the Pursuit of Happiness

■ Another important and related teaching of Aristotle on

virtue is his philosophy regarding the pursuit of
happiness or human flourishing/fulfillment. “How do
we become happy people? Aristotle thinks we do so
through having the right habits, which he describes as
virtues. . . [which] are (as mentioned) ingrained
dispositions that are conducive to living well” (Solomon
& Higgins 2017, 271).
■ According to him, a happy life is a life of virtue.
Such a life involves reason (rational
contemplation). More specifically a life of reason
is one that is devoted to rational activities such as
thinking and reasoning. It is essentially the life of
a philosopher, a life of a thinker. This kind of life
gives man the deepest joy and happiness since this
is the life that we humans can share with the gods.
One that is dedicated to the contemplation of
divine and eternal truths.
■ In understanding man’s pursuit for happiness,
Aristotle says “. . .that every act that person does
is directed towards a particular purpose, aim, or
what the Greeks called telos. There is a purpose
why one does something. . . . a person’s action
manifests a good that she aspires for. For every
pursuit of a person hopes to achieve a good . . . .
The good is considered to be the telos or purpose
for which all seek to achieve” (as cited in Bulaong
et al. 2018, 83).
■ Now, what is the good and how does this relate to
the pursuit of happiness for man?
■ In this highly influential book Nichomachean
Ethics (a book said to be named after his son
Nichomachus), Aristotle discerns basically the
nature of human happiness (eudaemonia) as the
ultimate and final goal of all human striving, by
reference to our special and unique function as
human beings. For him, something is good if it
functions according to its nature. If it serves the
very purpose of its being.
■ So what is the essence of a human being? What makes him truly
as one? What is his truest nature?
■ The answer to all these, following Aristotle’s thinking, is that we
humans are unique in our capacity to exercise rationality in our
conduct and decisions. The excellent use of reason is what
Aristotle considers as a “virtuous activity.” Virtue is “...an activity
of the soul or a course of action in accordance with reason”
(Camp et al. 2015, 22). And philosophic contemplation, as
previously mentioned, represents the very summit of all human
pursuits and activities. Since reason is distinct and unique in man,
it is only logical that it should be the one to direct and govern all
his activities and pursuits, without of course neglecting other
capacities in various spheres of his existence.
■ Thus, to be happy, which is the ultimate and highest
human good or eudaemonia (total well-being or
happiness), is to live a life of virtue. And to live
virtuously, is to live a life of reason, which is in
accordance with our truest nature. “Thus, a happy
individual is one who lives in accordance with our truest
nature. “Thus, a happy individual is one who lives in
accordance with reason, and each individual should
develop [the] virtues (character traits and disposition)
that lead to this goal [of achieving the highest good]”
(Camp et al. 2015, 22).
 Virtue and the Golden Mean
■ Aristotle’s “provides a unifying framework for
understanding virtue in general as a mean between
two extremes” (Mackinnon & Fiala 2015, 151) is
his teachings on living a good and reason life
through moderation, as expressed in a doctrine
known as the Golden Mean. The Golden Mean
should not be confused with the Golden Rule of
Buddha and of the Bible for they are different.
■ This particular doctrine teaches that we have
to live and practice a life that avoids both
extremes: excess and deficiency. It teaches us
to avoid falling into the pit of
overindulgence. For anything that is done
excessively and inadequately leads to doom.
Living out of bounds, too much and too little,
is to sin against reason. And to sin against
reason is the surest road to perdition.
■To be a virtuous and well-
integrated person, one ought to
constantly practice consciously
the art and skill of doing and
having “just enough,” deliberately
avoiding any form of extremes in
one’s action, feeling, and conduct.
■ In ancient Greek thought, following in the
tradition of Plato, there were four basic or cardinal
virtues (Mackinnon & Fiala 2015, 152) These are
prudence (or wisdom), justice, temperance, and
courage. The virtue of courage, for instance, can
be understood as a mean or the middle ground
between the two extremes of deficiency and
excess. If one has “too little” courage (kulang ng
tapang), which is a vice . But too much of it, that
is, being “too courageous” (nasobrahan ng
tapang), is foolhardiness.
■ Thus, “[w]hen facing danger or challenges [as in a
battle] we should have neither too much fear
(sobrang takot)—which makes us unable to act—
nor too little fear (Halos walang takot)—which
makes us take reckless or foolish risks
(kagaguhan). The virtue of courage [therefore] is
having just the right amount of fear (Takot na
katamtaman lamang), depending on what is
appropriate for us as individuals and for the
circumstances we face” (Mackinnon & Fiala 2015,
152)
■ Having the virtue of courage then is to act rightly and
reasonably at the right time, in the right place, at the
right person with the right reason, and at the right
situation.
■ Browse these web links for a deeper knowledge on
Virtue Ethics.
●https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkJnQkzIpjw
●https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPV2KsWMRfc
Synthesis
■ Moral virtue, according to Aristotle, is a “state of
character” which habitually acts according to the
middle measure that practical wisdom identifies as
the moral choice that should be acted upon, given the
concrete situation that presents to the person. The
goal of virtue ethics is to promote the maturity of the
character of the person. Building a good character is
a task and responsibility of every person.
REFLECTION
(Adapted from Fernandez 2018, 187)
■ Apply the insights you have learned from Virtue Ethics to
your own personal context, with emphasis on the specific
qualities you ought to develop in order for you to become a
person of virtuous character.
Answer the following:
1. What have I LEARNED in this module?
2. What have I DONE?
3. How can I IMPROVE?