Virtue Ethics Flashcards
Is Virtue Ethics Agent Centred or Action Based?
What does it provide?
Agent-centred - 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).
It provides guidance as to the sort of characteristics and behaviours a good person will seek to embody.
Concerned with the whole of a person’s life, rather than particular episodes or actions
Is it Deontology or Teleology?
- Neither
Doesn’t fit into teleology or deontology.
Teleology - based on consequentialism eg. utilitarianism;
Deontology - duty to rules, strict rule set eg. 10 commandments
What does it teach?
An action is only good if it is an action that a virtuous person would carry out in the same circumstances.
A virtuous person is a person who acts virtuously and someone only acts virtually if they possess and live the virtues.
Three things your character can be developed by doing:
Emulation (Copy your heroes.)
Education (wisdom and understanding)
Experience (learn from mistakes)
Difference between Virtue based theory and Action based theory?
Virtue-based theory: 1) we should acquire good character traits, not simply act on moral rules, 2) morality involves being a virtuous person
Action-based theory: 1) we should act properly by following moral rules, 2) we judge people based on how they act, not on whether they are virtuous people
5 Criticism of Action Based theory
Action-based ethics lack a motivational component.
Action-based ethics are founded on an obsolete theological-legal model.
Action-based ethics ignore the spontaneous dimension of ethics.
Action-based ethics neglect the development of character
Action-based overemphasize autonomy and neglect community.
4 key principles of Plato’s virtue theory
Moral theory centres around achieving the highest possible good. The cultivation of one’s soul.
Happiness derives from virtue and actions are good when they help achieve this.
He considered qualities such as temperance, courage, prudence and justice central. (these were later called the cardinal virtues)
All about wisdom; if we know the good - we do the good.
Aristotle on
- Aims
- How we become virtuous
There is an aim or telos to everything we do; some are superior aims (final goals) and some are subordinate aims (things we have to do to get them).
Everyone’s final aim is Eudaimonia - human flourishing for the whole of society.
Aristotle asserted that contemplation was the highest form of happiness and that we should use our reason to work out how to be virtuous. Practical wisdom (phronesis) is acquired through repetition and practice i.e. until virtuous behaviour becomes habitual.
Aristotle’s 2 types of Virtue
Moral virtues; developing a good character through habit and moral exemplars.
Intellectual virtues; developing a good mind through training and education.
Aristotle’s archer
- In order to achieve Eudaimonia, we must practice like archers, aiming to hit the target.
- By practicing we improve our skills or virtues, and at least if you aim and miss you will be more virtuous than not aiming.
- All people had the potential to develop virtues; however only few will cultivate their potential into actual virtues.
Explain Arisotle’s golden mean and a few eg of moral virtues.
There are 12 moral virtues and each falls between two vices - that of excess and that of deficiency.
The position between these two vices is called the golden mean -
This mean is achieved through phronesis and so is not a statistical average but relative to the individual and circumstance.
Moral virtues: benevolence, fairness, kindness, conscientiousness, gratitude
Robert Arrington - Is Aristotle putting forward a theory of moderation?
Aristotle is not putting forward a theory of moderation.
Aristotle argues that certain situations should cause you to feel immense fear or pleasure or pain but we must know when is the right time/place/circumstance.
In a certain situation the golden mean might require immense anger or pity and that is not a theory of moderation.
Distinction between Aristotle’s virtue ethics and Plato’s?
Plato - knowledge was a virtue, knowing the right thing to do will automatically lead you to make the right decision. Wisdom was a basic virtue and with that the others came. Theory based
Aristotle - wisdom was virtuous but achieving virtue was not automatic. Wisdom is the goal achieved only after effort and unless a person chose to think and act virtuously, the other virtues were out of reach. Knowing good was not enough, one had to force themselves into the habit of doing good. Practical Application
3 Strengths of Aristotle’s theory
- Appeals to both secular and religious morality - an atheist can aspire to be like Jesus without believing he was the son of God.
- An altruistic approach is a virtuous approach.
- VE focuses on the agent’s moral development, meaning the individual has the power.
4 Weaknesses of Aristotle’ VE.
Robert Louden Criticism - it is impossible to practically apply Aristotle’s theory of finding the golden mean in ethical dilemmas. It provides us with no sturdy answers like deontological or consequentialist.
Aristotle’s concepts of virtue are overly general, rigid and out of date - It focuses more on the masculine attributes
VE is inherently subjective and although Aristotle recognises that the good of the polis/community outweighs that of the individual, VE fails to recognise that certain acts (rape/murder) are intrinsically immoral.
Some virtues could be employed for immoral purposes. When does a virtue become a vice? Who is qualified to say that?
Aquinas’ virtue ethics
Believes in the four “cardinal values”, the principle habits on which the rest of the values hinge.
Cardinal values provide the general template for the most salient forms of moral activity.
He also has the Theological values; faith, hope and charity which are associated with the salvation resulting from the grace of God. They cannot be obtained through human effort, but are infused into our souls by God alone.
Michael Slote
What distinction does he make?
How does this differ from Aristotle?
Virtue/agent-focused (Aristotle, if a virtuous person would do it then its virtuous. focused on outcome of action)
Virtue/agent-based (His view, focus on motivation).
Aristotle says it is simply enough to do the right thing because it is what a virtuous person would do. Slote says, we must do the right thing because we ourselves are virtuous. The intentions matter for Slote
Michael Slote
Henry Sidgwick Example
If a lawyer prosecutes someone who deserves to be prosecuted but solely for the reason that they have a personal vendetta against them. Is it still right?
Slote would say no because his motivations are not right.
Aristotle would say yes because it is what a virtuous person would do.
Michael Slote
Morality as Inner Strength
Slote characterises virtue as “an inner trait or disposition of the individual” – an “inner strength” if you will.
There is something intrinsically virtuous about inner strength.
However, if the inner strength does not help one to be kind and honest to others, then it cannot function as a general groundwork for morality.
Slote develops his investigation into warm agent-based ethics by exploring this idea of benevolence.
Michael Slote
Warm v cool agents
“Cool” agent-based virtue ethics are based on virtues such as health and strength, which have no clear link to altruism.
“Warm” agent-based virtue ethics are based on ideas like compassion and benevolence, which build altruistic human concern explicitly into their foundations.
