The ultimate aim of virtue ethics is eudaimonia, roughly meaning flourishing or success. This is the most important definition of pure theoretical ethics. Its methodology must match its subject mattergood actionand must respect the fact that in this field many generalizations hold only for the most part. Virtue ethics are normative ethical theories which emphasize virtues of mind, character and sense of honesty. Virtue ethics is primarily concerned with traits of character that are essential to human flourishing, not with the enumeration of duties. Virtue ethics routledge encyclopedia of philosophy. The cardinal virtues, as presented by plato, were wisdom or prudence, courage, temperance, and justice. This is confirmed by the way aristotle returns to the definition in the final book of the ethics. These include how virtues are acquired, how they are applied in various real life contexts, and whether they are rooted in a universal human nature or in a plurality of cultures. Nicomachean ethics book 1, their general definition, their number, their detailed descriptions, are all to be understood as a commentary on the original definition. Aristotle regarded ethics and politics as two related but separate fields of study, since ethics examines the good of the individual, while politics examines the good of the citystate. In philosophy, the phrase virtue ethics refers to ethical systems that focus primarily on what sort of person one should try to be.
It may, initially, be identified as the one that emphasizes the virtues, or moral character, in contrast to the approach that emphasizes duties or rules deontology or that emphasizes the consequences of actions consequentialism. A summary of book ii in aristotles nicomachean ethics. This pdf version matches the latest version of this entry. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of nicomachean ethics and what it means. You can also read more about the friends of the sep. Aristotle conceives of ethical theory as a field distinct from the theoretical sciences. This is a wellwritten and comprehensive overview of. In this theory, it is believed that having a virtuous character leads to virtuous decisions. Virtue ethics is currently one of three major approaches in normative ethics.
Virtue ethics focuses on the development of sound moral character rather than moral rules. Virtue, says augustine, is a good habit consonant with our nature. In light of ecological problems growing out of the human use of technology, critics have charged virtue ethics with being anthropocentric. This characterbased approach to morality assumes that we acquire virtue through practice.
In these writings, he uses logic to determine a definition and the potential. Deontology teaches that the morality of actions depends on if those actions obey established rules or laws. In ethics of care of equating this ethics with virtue ethics, some authors have suggested that this portrayal sounds very much like the description of an aristotelian virtue. Humanity virtue humanity is a virtue associated with basic ethics of altruism derived from the human condition. Virtue ethics are not concerned with what we ought to do, but with what kind of person we should be.
The predominant in european ethics was the platonicaristotelian tradition, according to which the general definition of the notion of virtue receives a continuation and addition in the analysis of individual virtues. This contrasts with dominant approaches to international ethics which prioritize the identification or development of moral rules or duties deontological approaches or the consequences of actions consequentialist approaches. A virtuebased ethics is agent centered, presumes a telos or purpose for human life, and encompasses both personal and public goods. In virtue ethics, what makes an action right is that it is what a virtuous person would do in the same circumstances. Ethics for climate change communicators oxford research. Socrates asked the question at the heart of greek ethics. The aristotelian ethics has come down in three redactions, the nicomachean ethics seemingly named from some unknown connection with aristotles son, nicomachus, the eudemian ethics seemingly named from eudemus of rhodes or, as dirlmeier suggests, from eudemus of cyprus, and though of still disputed authenticity, the magna moralia.
Virtue ethics teaches that, by careful living, a person can develop all three qualities, thus embodying a character that is naturally moral, although external forces may damage or destroy eudaimonia. Virtue ethics is one of the theories of normative ethics. It is fitting, therefore, that his moral philosophy is based around assessing the broad characters of human beings rather than assessing singular acts in. Eudaimonism, agentbased theories, and the ethics of care. Virtue ethics is a philosophy developed by aristotle and other ancient greeks.
Virtue, then, is a state of character concerned with choice, lying in a mean, i. Aristotle, however, was himself working through an agenda laid down by plato and socrates. Virtue ethics kirsten ainley london school of economics k. While virtue ethics is often criticized for failing to provide a concrete blueprint for action, its conception of moral development and thick vocabulary of virtues and vices offer a. Many consider david hume 1751 and adam smith 1759 to provide important, sentimentalist virtue ethics in the early modern period. Not opposed to a legitimate place for emotion in ethical discourse, aristotle outlined the importance of feeling at the proper times and for good. A virtue ethicist, however, would focus less on lying in any particular instance and instead consider what a decision to tell a lie or not tell a lie. From socrates and plato, there is a tradition of singling out four cardinal virtues. Virtue article about virtue by the free dictionary.
Modern virtue ethicists often claim aristotle as an ancestor. Aristotelian virtue ethics introduction aristotle 384322 bc was a scholar in disciplines such as ethics, metaphysics, biology and botany, amongst others. What is usually understood by ethics, however, is philosophical ethics, or moral philosophy, and in this sense the present article will treat the subject. Since its recovery in the twentieth century, virtue ethics has been established in three main directions. Virtue is variously described as an excellence that is admired in a person, as a disposition to act in a certain way, and as a specific state of character. Contemporary interest in virtue ethics is often traced to elizabeth anscombes anscombe 1958. To seek virtue for the sake of reward is to dig for iron with a spade of gold. Aristotle offers the following definition of virtue.
Virtue theory article about virtue theory by the free. From saint thomass entire question on the essence of virtue may be gathered his brief but complete definition of virtue. Virtue ethics ve is a way of thinking about how to. Ethics and politics are closely related, for politics is the science of creating a society in which men can live the good life and develop their full potential. Virtue ethics, approach to ethics that takes the notion of virtue often conceived as excellence as fundamental. Augustine seems perhaps to accord better with the idea than the others. A brief summary of history of ethics summarized from short history of ethics by rogers, r. Aristotles writings have been read more or less continuously since ancient times, and h. The nature of virtue in antique ethics duty and moral obligation in modern ethics. Of the three proposed derivations of the word religion, that suggested by lactantius and endorsed by st. This is because they focus entirely on the actions.
We get an overview of virtue both intellectual and moraland learn that we arent really born with moral virtues. Both teleological and deontological ethical theories are called deontic or actionbased theories of morality. According to virtue ethicists this is the aim to which. The notion of it commonly accepted among theologians is that which is found in st. Thus, one of the aims of virtue ethics is to offer an account of the sort of characteristics a virtuous person has. In philosophy, ethics is the attempt to offer a rational response to the question of how humans should best live. This makes important the particular context in which an action is considered. Virtue ethics ve is a way of thinking about how to behave well which focuses on the character of moral agents and the nature of the good life. Nicomachean ethics is the name of a series of books that aristotle wrote about ethics. There are several other theories of normative ethics. Virtue ethics is a broad term for theories that emphasize the role of character and virtue in moral philosophy rather than either doing ones duty or acting in order to bring about good consequences.
Normative ethics is the study of what makes an action morally right or wrong. Eudaimonism sources virtues in human flourishing, where flourishing is equated with performing ones distinctive function well. It is the quest to understand and live a life of moral character. The first of these is the requireme nt that an ethical.
The first person to put forward the idea of looking inwardly in such a way was aristotle. By practicing being honest, brave, just, generous, and so on, a person develops an honorable and moral character. Popular virtue ethics books meet your next favorite book. Proposing the ethical theory in nicomeachean ethics, aristotle. This focus on character rather than action itself is underlined by the way in which a range of qualities is. Virtue ethics has its origin in the ancient world, particularly in the writings of plato and aristotle. Humanity differs from mere justice in that there is a level of altruism towards individuals included in humanity more so than the fairness found in justice. Nicomachean ethics study guide contains a biography of aristotle, literature essays, a complete etext, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Virtue ethics describes a certain philosophical approach to questions about morality. Virtue ethics probably originate with aristotle, who argued in the nicomachean ethics. Anscombe critical of modern ethics and advocating a. A study in moral theory by alasdair macintyre, the nicomachean ethics by aristotle, dialogues and essays by.
Aristotles ethics stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. The bible certainly promotes the development of an excellent, virtuous character. Copp and sobel provide a detailed overview of the state of virtue ethics literature. Toward the end of this book, he turns to the subject of virtue, since its in virtuous action that humans find happiness in life. Aristotle first used the term ethics to name a field of study developed by his predecessors socrates and plato.
35 1171 1045 324 684 158 1079 1521 331 308 1574 965 763 1499 90 579 467 1021 523 595 258 1104 1005 1291 110 644 662 937 676 1365 878 747 1225 307 1101 1461