Virtue Ethics: Key Words

Question 1

Altruism

Answer 1

Love of others, as opposed to egoism (love of oneself).

Question 2

Anthropocentric

Answer 2

Human-centred: Used as a criticism of Aristotelian Ethics - that it applies human values to everything, so animals do not figure as objects of moral concern for Aristotle.

Question 3

Dispositions

Answer 3

Character traits. Virtue is a disposition in relation to a mean.

Question 4

Eudaimonia

Answer 4

(For Aristotle) that which is good for humans, defined(and rejected) variously as: pleasure, honour, happiness, complete well-being; defined finally as the intellectual virtue of theoria (scientific) contemplation.

Question 5

Function

Answer 5

(Ergon) ‘work’ or ‘accomplishment’. Something is ‘good’ if it fulfills its function.

Question 6

Hierarchy

Answer 6

A system in which the parts/members are ranked according to status or authority. Aristotle, refers, for example, to the hierarchy of souls: vegetative, sensitive and rational (plant, animal and human), in which humans rank highest, since they alone possess rationality.

Question 7

Mean

Answer 7

The median - specific virtues lie between two extremes - the excess and deficiency. The mean is relative to the disposition of each individual.

Question 8

Phronimos

Answer 8

The man of practical wisdom, who, in Aristotle’s system, is best qualified to define virtuous behavior in any situation, his practical wisdom having been acquired by constant practice and habit.