Virtue ethics

What is virtue ethics ?

( so what do you have in mind when you hear about virtue of ethics ? so before before we go
on to our formal discussion lets us first separate the meaning of virtue from ethics )

Virtue

Virtue is moral excellence . A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good thus
is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being .

( so in other words it is a behavior that shows high moral standards : doing what is right and
avoiding what is wrong. So virtue is about doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong . so i
have here some words that correspond to the term virtue )

Term that correspond virtue

 Hope
 Justice
 Loyalty
 Love
 Creativity
 Commitment
 Dependability
 Grace

Ethics

Ethics is based on well founded standards of right and wrong that prescribe

What humans ought to do,usually in terms of rights,obligations,benefits to society,fairness, or

specific virtues.

( So Ethics and virtues is all about doing what is right so even we separate there meanings but
still the virtue and ethics correspond to do what is right from wrong so i have also some words
that correspond to ethics so we have .. )

Words that correspond ethics

 Honor
 Principle
 Honesty
  Fairness
 Responsibility
 Morally

( so let us talk now about the virtue ethics )

Virtue ethics

Is the ethical frame work that is concerned with understanding the good as a matter of
developing the virtuous character of a person .

It also focuses on on the formation ones character brought about determining and doing
virtuous acts .

Virtue ethics is person rather than action based it looks at the virtue or moral character of the
person carrying out an actions, rather than at ethical duties and rules or the consequences of
particular actions.

Virtue ethics not only deals with the rightness and wrongness of individual actions, it provides
guidance as to rhe sort of characteristics and behaviors a good person will seek to achieve .

(So in that way , Virtue ethics is concerned with the whole of a person's life , rather than
particular episodes or actions. So i have here example .)

Example :

 Approaching a level crossing - A man notices a girl tied to the tracks and a train is fast
approaching & it's obvious the driver hasn't seen the girl .
 Aristotle would say the man should show courage - he wouldn't tell him what todo .

( so according to Aristotle ( read the example in Aristotle kana bitawng dili na sya ignon pa
sa iyang angay buhaton dapat tabangan na niya ang bae because the girl is in danger so as a
person kung naay mga ingon ana nga situation kailangan wag tayong mag atubili na
tumulong sa kapwa o kung sino man yung mga nangangailan so in that way atong ma
exercise how to become a virtuous person kanang dili ta kailangan maghulat kung unsay
ihatag sa ato pabalik sa atong gi tabang )

 We would need to decide for ourselves what we think the most courageous act would
be .

( and that act is to help )

How does person develop virtues ?

Virtues are developed through learning and through practice. As the ancient philosopher
Aristotle suggested , a person can improve his or her character by practicing self discipline,
while good can be corrupted by repeated self indulgence. Just as the ability to run a marathon
develops through much training and practice so too does our capacity to be fair , to be
courageous , or to be compassionate.

( So we have two major major thinkers of ancient Greece and this is plato and aristotole )

Aristotle 384-322-BCE

Aristotle was born in Macedonia and studied philosophy under plato in Athens. He was
considered to be thr brightest among plato's students in the former's school , the academy. He
later founded his own school , lyceum where he became a very productive intellectual , having
written numerous works on different topics such as the theoretical and practical sciences, and
logic. Hr was also known to be the tutor of Alexander the great who tried to conquer the
world . Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics is his major work in moral philosophy Aristotle was one
of the greatest philosophers who ever lived and the first genuine scientist in history. He made
pioneering contributions to all fields of philosophy and science he invented the field of formal
and logic and he identified the various scientific disciplines and explored their relationships to
each other .

The nicomachean ethics was the first book ever written on ethics, and still the one of the
greatest and most influential. It is meant to be practical to teach us to be virtuous more than to
understand what virtue is. Aristotle assumes that all our actions aim at some end or good, that
our ends from hierarchy, and that there is one ultimate end. The highest good is that at wih all
actions aim; it must be end in itself, self sufficient, and attainable. as happiness alone satisfies
these conditions, happiness alone is our highest good.

Plato 427 BC-347 BC

So plato si an ancient greek philosopher plato was a student of Socrates and a teacher of
Aristotle. His writings explored justice beauty and equality, and also contained discussions in
aesthetics , political Philosophy , theology , cosmology , epistomology and the philosophy of
language. Plato founded the academy in athens , one of the first institutions of higher learning
in the western world. He founded the academy of Athens. His works on philosophy, politics and
mathematics were very influential and laid the foundations for Euclid's systematic approach to
mathematics. Aristotle's discourse of.ethics departs from the platonic understandings or reality
and conception of the good .

Plato and Aristotle

Affirm rationality as the highest faculty of a person and having such characteristic enable a
person to realize the very purpose of her existence.

But they differ in their appreciation of reality and nature , which in turn , results in their
contrasting sand own on what the principle should be.

( so lahi lahi gyud diay tag pagsabot no ? Just like Aristotle and Plato did )

So for plato , the real Is outside the realm of any human sensory experience but can somehow
be grasped by ones intellect. The truth and , ultimately , the good are in the sphere of forms or
ides transcending daily human condition.

And for Aristotle he also believed that real is found within our everyday encounter with objects
in the world. What makes nature intelligable is its character of having both form and matter .
therefore , the truth and the good cannot exist apart from the object and are not independent
of our experience .

(So now lets talk about how do we apply virtue ethics in businessamd politics .)

Virtue ethics in business encourages employees to demonstrate virtues such as honesty,

diligence, responsibility, and compassion in their work. The Greek philosopher Aristotle
believed that ambition is a virtue, but employees who pursue their goals at all costs may
overlook virtue

Examples of virtue ethics include a compassionate employee who helps his colleagues, a good
nurse who provides excellent care to patients, and an individual who returns to the store to pay
for a product he forgot to pay for.

In politics Virtue ethical theory encompasses a particular understanding of political practice. It

involves the willingness by individuals to find the good life together in an association oriented
toward the common good. This common project is vulnerable; it is prone to being undermined
by a set of factors
One final point: understanding politics from a virtue ethical perspective means that political
responsibility is to be understood as virtue (or like a virtue). This means that it can be learned
and developed. A true political practice, then, is one in which a good politician is not simply
cunning and effective, able to shift the blame and survive politically. A good politician is one
who is recognized as knowing better than others how best to deal with the typical threats to
politics.

So to understand more about virtue ethics

Virtue ethics is a philosopy developed by Aristotle and other ancient Greeks it is the quest to
understand and live a life of moral character this character based approach to morality assumes
that acquire virtue through practice. By practicing being honest brave , just , generous ,and so
on a person develops an honorable and moral character. Accordinf to Aristotle by honing
virtous habit's people will likely make the right choice when faced wuth ethical challenges

There are three keys of philosophies

1. Utilitatrianism
2. Deontology
3. Vitue Ethics

To illustrate the difference among three key philosophies lets have an example I will use
batmam and joker for my example .

Utilitarians - white and arp suggest would endorsed killing the joker.

( by taking this one life batman could save multitudes )

Deontologists - on the other hand , would reject killing the joker simply because its wrong to
kill.

But a virtue ethicist Would highlight the character of the person who kills the joker .

( does batman want to be the kind of person who takes enemies lives ? No infact , he doesn't . )

So virtue ethics helps us understand what it means to be a virtous human being. And it give us
a guide for living life without giving us specific rules for resolving ethical dilemmas.