Virtue Ethics Flashcards
(35 cards)
Who developed Virtue Ethics?
Aristotle
What are the cardinal virtues?
First developed by Plato: prudence, temperance, justice, fortitude
Define prudence
To have careful good judgement.
Define temperance
To live in moderation
Define justice
To ensure fairness.
Define Fortitude
To confront fears and show courage.
What did Aristotle believe that everything had?
Four Causes. The most important being a ‘final cause’
Define final cause
Purpose.
What, according to Aristotle is the final cause of a human being?
Eudaimonia
What is eudaimonia?
The whole of society being content, healthy and prosperous.
What must be developed in order to reach eudaimonia?
An individual’s virtue
What are the two types of virtues?
Moral and Intellectual.
How are moral virtues developed?
By habit
How are intellectual virtues developed?
Be training and education.
What did Barack Obama say about virtues
we must go back to the virtues as they have been lost in modern society.
What guidance is there to help us develop the virtues?
Following virtuous people as role models.
Name 3 moral virtues
courage, modesty, proper ambition
Name 3 intellectual virtues
Prudence, wittiness, wisdom.
What did Aristotle believe about the potential to develop the virtues.
We all have the potential to develop the virtues but few will cultivate this potential. (Gentleman philosophers)
QUOTE - How does Aristotle describe excellence?
“Excellence is a habit not an act”
What is the golden mean?
The virtuous midpoint between two vices
What is a vice of deficiency?
A lack of virtue
What is a vice of excess?
Too much of a virtue
Define virtue
A moral excellence