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Virtue Ethics revision summary

Virtue Ethics revision summary. Key Words to be happy with. Virtue ( arete) – skill or habit of character Prudence ( phronesis) – practical wisdom Intellectual excellence ( sophia) – non-moral wisdom Happiness (eudaimonia) – flourishing

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Virtue Ethics revision summary

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  1. Virtue Ethics revision summary

  2. Key Words to be happy with • Virtue (arete) – skill or habit of character • Prudence (phronesis) – practical wisdom • Intellectual excellence (sophia) – non-moral wisdom • Happiness (eudaimonia) – flourishing • Golden Mean – midpoint between excess and deficiency • Cardinal virtues – Aquinas’ word for four key virtues • Theological virtues – Aquinas’ word for faith, hope, love • Teleological – theory where goodness depends on ends

  3. Key assumption • To do right actions we need right character. • This character (ethos) can be developed by - Emulation (copy your heroes) - Education (wisdom and understanding) - Experience (learn from mistakes)

  4. Aristotle’s idea of the soul We have a rational side: - Intellectual skills or virtues (technical, scientific) - Moral skills or virtues (practical wisdom) And an non-rational side - Desires (warmth, clothing, shelter) - Appetites (food, sex, drink) By developing the intellectual skills we excel in sophia. By developing the moral skills we excel in phronesis.

  5. An ultimate aim • Eudaimonia – the supreme good is flourishing • We flourish personally as we pursue the virtues. • We flourish as a community as virtues govern our common life. • We acquire intellectual virtues by training and education. • We acquire moral virtues by habit (practising).

  6. How do we pursue excellence? • The virtue lies at a mid point between the vice of deficiency the vice of excess. • Example: courage lies between cowardice (vice of deficiency) and recklessness (vice of excess). • Some of Aristotle’s list of virtues might surprise us: Magnificence = greatness lies between meanness and over-indulgence So a BMW lies between a Skoda and a Rolls-Royce

  7. Aquinas added to Aristotle’s virtues • Aquinas tried to reconcile Aristotle and Christianity • Aquinas called these the cardinal virtues - justice (giving people their deserts) - temperance (moderation) - wisdom (phronesis or prudence) - courage • Aquinas calls these theological virtues (Christian) - faith - hope - love

  8. Reason is the key • We should act out of virtue, not because of the consequences, but because we are wise. • The exact way to apply the virtue of courage for example depends on circumstances. • So we need reason (phronesis or practical wisdom) to decide on the right action in a situation. • This skill of reason is developed by practice. • Throughout our lives we build this skill, just as we develop intellectual skills to gain sophia (wisdom in the intellectual sphere).

  9. The importance of character • As humans we seem to need heroes. • Our heroes (Wayne Rooney, Rihanna) have great skill (virtue means skill in Greek, arete). • But their characters are not always morally skilful or virtuous (they get sent off, take drugs etc) • So our society may arguably have lost the idea of emulating (copying) moral heroes to build a greater society...so that all may flourish (eudaimonia). • Modern virtue ethicists like Alasdair MacIntyre argue we have lost our way. Click on the link to find out more about MacIntyre. • http://www.philosophicalinvestigations.co.uk/index.php?view=article&catid=48%3Avirtue&id=246%3Ahandout-anscombe-and-macintyre&option=com_content&Itemid=54&limitstart=2

  10. Evaluating Virtue Ethics • morality is about building character. • the view of human nature is more holistic (emotions, reason, habits). • recognises our social life is a construct, and so is our idea of virtue. So virtues are adaptable to our culture. But... • decisions are difficult – how do you solve dilemmas? • virtues may conflict eg lying to save a friend (truth v loyalty). • Bertrand Russell argued they are bourgeois values of passionless mediocrity. Click on link for a table. • http://www.philosophicalinvestigations.co.uk/index.php?view=article&catid=48%3Avirtue&id=86%3Atable-strengths-and-weaknesses-of-virtue-ethics&option=com_content&Itemid=54

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