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Ethics: Virtue Knowledge Flashcards

1
Q

Define Virtue.

A

A disposition or character trait, being good requires the practice of a certain kind of behaviour.

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2
Q

What are the three ways we are judged?

A
  1. An individual who has developed good traits (virtues), is judged as a morally good person.
  2. An individual who has developed bad traits (vices) is judged as a morally bad person.
  3. Most of us have a mixture of vices and virtues.
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3
Q

What is Virtue ethics based on?

A

Virtue ethics is Agent based (character).

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4
Q

What is a quote to support Virtue ethics?

A

“ We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act but a habit… moral excellence comes as a result of habit”

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5
Q

What is Eudaemonia according to Aristole?

A

The highest good humans could strive towards, or “well-lived”.

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6
Q

Explain The Function Argument: Everything has a function.

A

Goodness consists in performing ones function well, e.g. a knifes goodness lies in its capacity to cut efficiently.

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7
Q

Explain The Function Argument: Everything living has a soul.

A

The nature of the soul determines the function e.g. a plant fulfils its functions through taking in food and growing.

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8
Q

Explain The Function Argument: The uniqueness of the human soul lies in its capacity for rational thought.

A

Reasoning well is how humans attain goodness and that entails exercising virtue for their entire lives.

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9
Q

What is Aristotle’s claim in Nicomachean Ethics? What type of argument is it?

A

Every art and every enquiry, and similarly every action as well as choice, is held to aim at some good. Therefore it is a Teleological argument.

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10
Q

What is a quote to support virtue ethics?

A

“ Activity of the soul in accord with virtue”

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11
Q

What is a quote to support virtue ethics?

A

“ the good life is that in which we exercise reason well”.

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12
Q

What are the two aspects of the soul?

A
  1. Rational (logic).
  2. Non-rational (emotions).
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13
Q

How must a virtuous person act?

A

Formed by habits. A virtuous person must know what they are doing in any situation and not act through ignorance and must CHOOSE to act virtuously.

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14
Q

What are the Four Cardinal Virtues?

A
  1. Courage
  2. Justice
  3. Temperance
  4. Wisdom
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15
Q

What are Three Theological Virtues?

A
  1. Faith
  2. Hope
  3. Love
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16
Q

What are FIVE examples of Victorian virtues?

A
  1. Temperance
  2. Modesty
  3. Piety
  4. Obedience
  5. Conformity
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17
Q

What are FIVE present day Virtues?

A
  1. Tolerance
  2. Individuality
  3. Generosity
  4. Patience
  5. Loyalty
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18
Q

What is the Golden Mean?

A

Finding the balance between two means, the middle point.

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19
Q

What are the THREE types of person according to Aristotle’s Doctrine?

A
  1. Sophron: someone who naturally lives in the mean without effort.
  2. Enkrates: tempted but has strong enough will power to live in the mean.
  3. Arkrates: (a person without will or weak willed) cannot live in the mean by overcoming temptation.
20
Q

What is Phronesis?

A

We apply phonesis is to decide the right course of action, it is necessary as we grow up and move away from rules and the demands of an authority figure.

21
Q

Define Theoria.

A

The intellectual virtue of contemplation, which Aristole states to be the good life of humans.

22
Q

What are the THREE reasons Theoria leads to Eudaemonia?

A
  1. Reason/intelligence is the highest aspects of human life.
  2. Contemplation of the world leads to the greatest happiness, it is intrinsically good.
  3. Theoretical reasoning is contemplation of they divine whereas practical reasoning is only human.
23
Q

Why is Holistic a Strength of Virtue Ethics?

A
  1. Holistic, the whole personality is considered. E.g. excellence of the character, development of theoretical reasoning, development of practical skills, practical wisdom.
24
Q

Why is Virtue Ethics being a Human Centred ethic a Strength?

A

A human centred ethics; Values strengths of moral character above following rules regardless of if the rules are good or bad.

25
Why is a Strength of Virtue Ethics that it allows for Moral Judgement?
Allows for moral judgment; avoiding trying to guess the future (issue with consequentialist ethics). Doesn’t have the issue of deontological ethics, where rules conflict.
26
Why is a Strength of Virtue Ethics that is doesn’t aim for Perfection?
Doesn’t make the claim that there is a perfect solution for every moral problem, but instead equips people to deal with the problems.
27
What is a Strength of Virtue ethics (telos)?
Teleological focus of Eudaemonia.
28
Why is a Strength of Virtue Ethics that you do not have to be mentally equipped?
You do not have to be mentally equipped to deal with NMLs difficult doctrine of double effect. Follow example of virtuous people, mistakes are okay because virtue is developed over a lifetime.
29
Why is a Strength of Virtue Ethics The Doctrine of the Mean?
The doctrine of the mean, means that the virtue ethics is flexible to the situation a person is in.
30
What is a Strength of Virtue ethics? (Emotions)
Sees human emotions as important.
31
Why is a lack of Cultural Relativism a Weakness in Virtue Ethics?
Although the mean is relative to an individuals situation, it ignores cultural relativism. Different societies have different virtues therefore what is virtuous in one century may be a vice in another.
32
Why is a Weakness of Virtue Ethics it being cyclical?
Aristotle’s argument does seem to be circular. E.g. “how should we act?” = “virtuously”, “how do we become virtuous?” = “by acting virtuously”. All Aristotle’s recommendations of virtues may have just been appropriate in that time.
33
Why is a Weakness of Virtue Ethics its relation to Politics?
Less useful in both national and international politics because governments cannot make ethical decisions based on individual character. Greater happiness to greatest number of individuals doesn’t consider individuals virtues.
34
Why is a Weakness of Virtue ethics that it is hard to apply?
It is difficult to apply Aristotles function in some contexts as there are multiple loving outcomes.
35
Why is a Weakness of Virtue Ethics its Anthropocentricity?
Virtue ethics is anthropocentric— focus on good for HUMANS. Animal kingdom is ignored as they are less intelligent beings.
36
Why is a Weakness of virtue ethics its difficulty to be applied to moral dilemmas?
Difficult to apply virtue ethics to moral dilemmas e.g. embryo research. Virtue is practised over an entire lifetime but some moral issues require immediate answers.
37
Why is a Weakness of Virtue ethics a lack of law?
People need to have a clear view on what they should and shouldn’t do as consequences discipline people.
38
Why is a Weakness of Virtue ethics Character?
Virtuous people can be dull therefore less admirable and likely for people to follow. Most people admire characters that don’t conform to rules or common ideas.
39
Aristotles Quote from Nicomachean Ethics.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. …. Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.”
40
What is the Context of Aristotles Theory?
Aristotles audience is made up of serious human beings, his ethical ideas therefore held to be elitist (not intended to apply to an entire population). However it can be applied to everyone in modern context.
41
What is the Outline of Aristotles Theory?
> It begins with Nicomachean ethics, where it is claimed that Every art and every enquiry, and similarly every action as well as choice is held to aim at some good. > It is Teleological: some final end to which all activities are directed. Discovering this final end is a process that is likely to be directed by politicians. (Final end=Eudaemonia)
42
Define Soul.
The soul is the form or blueprint of the body. Aristotle defines this as a hierarchy,
43
What are the THREE different types of Soul?
1. Plants=Vegetation=Nutrition Growth 2. Animal=Sensitive= Nutrition Growth + Movement+Sense perception+ Basic thought. 3. Humans=Rational=Movement+ Sense Perception +Basic Thought+Reason.
44
What does Modern-day ethicist Alastair Macintyre say?
Points out that different virtues have been prized by different societies and at different points in history. Virtue ethics is therefore a morally relativist, culturally relativist, non-cognitivist theory.
45
What are St Ambroses’ FOUR Cardinal Virtues?
1. Courage 2. Justice 3. Temperance 4. Wisdom
46
What are St Ambroses’ THREE Theological Virtues?
1.Faith 2.Hope 3.Love

Religious Studies (16 decks)

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