Virtue ethics

Question 1

What is a virtue?

Answer 1

A charecter trait, virtue ethics is all about the virtues whihc make for a good moral character.

Question 2

What is the etymology of virtue and ethics?

Answer 2

Virtue- comes from the Greek arete meaning excellence. Ethics- comes from the Greek ethikos meaning character.

Question 3

What is virtue ethics all about?

Answer 3

It is agent centered, it focusses on people and the qualities that make them good, being good is a matter of character, not deed.

Question 4

What is eudaimonia?

Answer 4

The purpose of human life and the highest good, it comes from living a life of enjoyment, being a free member of society and reflecting on life.

Question 5

How are virtues gained?

Answer 5

Through habit, we must practice and improve our skills so that we become a more virtuous person. We need to act in a proportionate way and find the mean between the vices and the virtues.

Question 6

What is the golden mean?

Answer 6

The middle way between the vice of excess and the vice of deficiency. Aristotle identified 12 virtues and their vices, for example, the vices of courage would be rashness and cowardice.

Question 7

Who was Norman kember?

Answer 7

A british peace keeping activist who was working with the Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq when he was taken hostage, his college was killed. Kember was eventually released the question could be raised of wether his actions were foolish or courageous.

Question 8

What are the two types of virtue?

Answer 8

1. Moral virtues- states of character such as courage which can only be cultivated through habit. 2. Intellectual virtues- qualities of the mind such as wisdom which can be cultivated through learning and instruction.

Question 9

What are the nine intellectual virtues?

Answer 9

5 primary virtues- techne, episteme, phronesis, nous, Sophia. 4 secondary virtues- eboulia, sunesis, gnome, deinotes.

Question 10

What is acting the mean all about?

Answer 10

Having a balanced personality, displaying the virtues that show that life is based on reason. Virtuous people behave in a proportionate way and can be trusted to do the right thing in a variety of situations.

Question 11

What does Aristotle say about role models?

Answer 11

We should follow the example of virtuous people such as Gandhi, but should only focus on the virtuous elements of his character and disregard all else.

Question 12

Give three strengths of virtue ethics

Answer 12

1. It can be both secular and religious. 2. Jesus can be seen as the perfect model of a virtuous person. 3. It is simple and based on the wellbeing of the individual and the community (polis).

Question 13

Give two more strengths of virtue ethics

Answer 13

1. It attempts to link ethical theory with ethical practice. 2. It focusses on the character of the individual and becoming a better person, not on telling you what to do.

Question 14

What are three weaknesses of virtue ethics?

Answer 14

1. What do we do if virtues conflict? 2. How do we decide which virtues are most important to cultivate, they visit from culture to culture. 3. The golden mean is hard to apply, what is the mean virtue of loyalty?

Question 15

Give three more weaknesses of virtue ethics

Answer 15

1. It only applies to a community of male philosophers, Aristotle is racist, sexist and ageist. 2. Owing to the emphasis in being, not doing, it can be seen as selfish. 3. Loudes- it is impractical as it does not tell you what to do in a moral dilemma.

Question 16

Compare virtue ethics to Kant and utilitarianism

Answer 16

It is much harder to apply as it does not give us a binding rule, it starts instead with ‘what sort of person should I be?’ One way of approaching moral dilemmas within virtue ethics is to ask ‘what would a virtuous person do?’

Question 17

How can virtue ethics be applied to war?

Answer 17

Concerns over how training affects soldiers. Just like with the virtues, when training for war, the actions soldiers do become habitual. Some people argue that they can turn these qualities on and off, but the recent examples of soldiers abusing prisoners- abu ghraid, raise questions about habitual violence amongst soldiers.

Question 18

Why did Macintyre want to revive virtue ethics?

Answer 18

He said that meta ethics divorced people from ethics, it left unsolved moral dilemmas which created a moral vacuum. He said that ethicists live in ivory towers, discussing the meaning of words as opposed to caring about real moral issues.

Question 19

What is Macintyre’s virtue ethics like?

Answer 19

Virtues should be flexible and change with time. His ethic is community based and asks people to aspire to be the best person they can be. He identified external goods (moral values which result from the practice of a good) and internal goods (goods specific to an activity itself.)

Question 20

How does Philippa Foot respond to the criticism that virtues may be used to a bad end (ie. Loyalty to Hitler)?

Answer 20

She said that virtue ethics may not guarantee happiness, but can be part of achieving it. The wise person directs their will to something that it both extrinsically and intrinsically good, there are particularly ways of obtaining certain goods and it is these ways of obtaining goods that are the virtues.

Question 21

How does Foot characterize virtues?

Answer 21

As correctives, she compares humans to planks of wood left out to season, wood naturally warps and needs continual attention to keep it straight, this is what vitreous do to the human character.

Question 22

What four things did Elizabeth anscombe say?

Answer 22

1. The concept of moral rules is flawed. 2. The obligation to follow rules only makes sense if you believe in god. 3. The only reason to follow moral law is if there is a judge to reward/punish people. 4. The way forward is to revive the concept of eudaimonia, which does not need god.

Question 23

What are Macintyre’s seven virtues?

Answer 23

1. Courage. 2. Justice. 3. Temperance. 4. Wisdom. 5. Industriousness. 6. Hope. 7. Patience.

Question 24

What does Richard Taylor say about virtue ethics and religious ethics?

Answer 24

They are incompatible as Christianity argues that the meek shall inherit the earth, Christians are not encouraged to develop their moral character. It encourages weakness and mediocrity.

Question 25

How can Christianity be seen to be compatible with virtue ethics?

Answer 25

It encourages moral development through using examples of virtuous people such as Jesus, this is exactly what virtue ethics asks us to do.