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    Aristotle Virtue Ethics

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    MallyWally1
    Aristotle's theory of virtue ethics holds that eudaimonia, or human flourishing, is achieved through developing virtues, or good habits. He separates the soul into rational and irrational parts. The rational part is responsible for intellectual virtues like wisdom, while the irrational part controls moral virtues developed through habit. Moral virtues involve moderation between two extremes, like courage between rashness and cowardice. One develops virtues by using reason to control desires. Only through a lifetime of rational control over one's character can one achieve eudaimonia and live well.

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    Aristotle Virtue Ethics

    Uploaded by

    MallyWally1
    668 views2 pages
    Aristotle's theory of virtue ethics holds that eudaimonia, or human flourishing, is achieved through developing virtues, or good habits. He separates the soul into rational and irrational parts. The rational part is responsible for intellectual virtues like wisdom, while the irrational part controls moral virtues developed through habit. Moral virtues involve moderation between two extremes, like courage between rashness and cowardice. One develops virtues by using reason to control desires. Only through a lifetime of rational control over one's character can one achieve eudaimonia and live well.

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    Virtue Ethics, Aristotle

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    Aristotle's theory of virtue ethics holds that eudaimonia, or human flourishing, is achieved through developing virtues, or good habits. He separates the soul into rational and irrational parts. The rational part is responsible for intellectual virtues like wisdom, while the irrational part controls moral virtues developed through habit. Moral virtues involve moderation between two extremes, like courage between rashness and cowardice. One develops virtues by using reason to control desires. Only through a lifetime of rational control over one's character can one achieve eudaimonia and live well.

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    668 views2 pages

    Aristotle Virtue Ethics

    Uploaded by

    MallyWally1
    Aristotle's theory of virtue ethics holds that eudaimonia, or human flourishing, is achieved through developing virtues, or good habits. He separates the soul into rational and irrational parts. The rational part is responsible for intellectual virtues like wisdom, while the irrational part controls moral virtues developed through habit. Moral virtues involve moderation between two extremes, like courage between rashness and cowardice. One develops virtues by using reason to control desires. Only through a lifetime of rational control over one's character can one achieve eudaimonia and live well.

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    Explain Aristotles Virtue Ethics.

    (30)
    Aristotles theory of virtues ethics, outlined in his book Nichomachean Ethics, is an
    agent-centred theory in which the fundamental aspect is that every art and every
    investigation and similarly every action and pursuit is considered to aim at some
    good, this aim or telos for Aristotle is eudaimonia human flourishing or happiness.
    Aristotle identifies eudaimonia, flourishing, as living well and doing well, one must
    use ones full capacity as a human to flourish as a moral individual. A humans
    distinctive function (ergon) is rationality: the ability to reason and the ability to obey
    reason. As rationality is the distinctive ergon in humans, the excellence of human
    beings, otherwise known as aret, is one where reason functions well; evidence of
    reason functioning well is bringing all aspects of ones character under the control of
    reason, this is the virtuous life. Eudaimonia is further stated to be an activity of soul
    in accordance with virtue, therefore it is through virtue (efficient functioning of
    reason) one achieves eudaimonia. To rationally control ones character will take a
    complete lifetime.
    Aristotle speaks of human goodness as an activity of the soul; he separates the
    soul into a rational and an irrational part. The rational part of the soul is the source of
    all intellectual virtue, namely the scientific and calculative aspect of a human. This
    includes the process of making a decision and the function of logic, knowledge of
    topics. The irrational part of the soul holds the moral virtues which are the
    desiderative and the nutritional and growth part. The nutritional and growth aspect of
    the soul constitutes basic human instinct to eat, drink and procreate; the desiderative
    part is of our desires which can be controlled and stopped. The rational needs to be
    in control in order for one to develop virtues as it is ones rationality which controls
    desires, by controlling ones desires one develops moral virtue and can therefore
    achieve eudaimonia.
    A virtue is a good habit or quality that allows the bearer to succeed at his or her or its
    purpose, the purpose being eudaimonia. Virtues make a human good and make him
    perform his function well. Aristotles Virtue Ethics distinguishes two types of virtue:
    intellectual and moral. Intellectual virtues are qualities of the mind and include having
    wisdom and understanding and prudence; these qualities are from a rational part of
    ones soul and can therefore be taught. There are a total of nine intellectual virtues,
    five primary virtues: technical skill, scientific knowledge, prudence, intelligence and
    wisdom and four secondary: resourcefulness, understanding, judgement and
    cleverness. Moral virtues are qualities of the character which can only be obtained
    through habit, liberality and temperance are moral virtues. Moral virtues fall in
    between the extreme and the deficient, the mean between two vices.
    The doctrine of the mean is a mean between two extremes, the one involving
    excess and the other deficiency. This is essential to Aristotles Virtue Ethics as the
    virtuous agent is one that finds the balance between the extremes, right quantities of

    anything and everything increases and preserves health. One must be the mean of
    everything, damage is done to the soul of one gives into extremities to often or too
    little. An example of a mean is seen through one of twelve virtues, courage, an
    excess of courage is rashness and its deficiency is cowardice. It must be noted that
    the moral mean is not a mathematical mean nor can the moral mean be exercised
    in every situation, for example, in a case where ones family has passed away,
    acting insensibly (a deficiency) seems understandable. Aristotle also states the
    doctrine of the mean, the midway point, can only be applied to emotions which have
    a scale of value, for an example, murder is inherently evil and cannot be given a
    scale as it is considered to be fundamentally wrong. Finally, one must deliberately
    choose to be virtuous as an act of free will.

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