The Ethics of Virtue

History

 

  1. Aristotle: What character traits make one a good person?
    1. St. Augustine & the Medieval era: Divine law
    2. Renaissance & Modern era: Moral law
    3. (a) & (b) answer “What is the right thing to do?”

 

  1. Should we return to the ethics of virtue?

 

The Virtues

 

  1. What is a virtue?
    1. “A trait of character, manifested in habitual action, that it is good for a person to have”

 

  1. What are the virtues?

 

  1. In what do these virtues consist?
    1. “The mean by reference to two vices: the one of excess and the other of deficiency”

 

6.    Why are the virtues important?

    1. The virtuous will fare better than the non-virtuous
    2. We are rational and social creatures

 

  1. Are the virtues the same for everyone?

 

Some advantages of virtue ethics

 

  1. Moral motivations

 

  1. Doubts about impartiality

 

Some problems for virtue ethics

 

  1. How to explain moral actions

 

  1. The problem of incompleteness

 

  1. Resolving moral conflict

 

  1. No corresponding virtue for every morally good thing

picasso217