Virtue Ethics

VIRTUE ETHICS
FASHION GENERAL
by Aristotle
VIRTUE
“VIRTUE means the excellence of a thing to perfome
its proper function.” —ARISTOTLE
ETHICS
ETHICS is derived from the greek word
“ethos”, which means “way of living.”
VIRTUE ETHICS
VIRTUE ETHICS- also aretaic ethics, from
Greek [aretḗ] is an approach that treats virtue
and character as the primary subjects of ethics,
in contrast to other ethical systems that put
consequences of voluntary acts, principles or
rules of conduct, or obedience to divine
authority in the primary role.
"Virtue is reason and reason is virtue. Virtous
person is a person who lives in reason". AND
"A person who lives in reason is happy, because he
is in active exercise of virtue". (Eddie Babor, 2006)
VIRTUE IS REASON. WHY?
VIRTUE IS REASON. WHY? —because humans are rational
KEY CONCEPTS
•Virtue & Vice
•Virtue & Emotions
•Phronesis & Eudaimonia

VIRTUE AND VICE
•A virtue is a characteristic disposition to think, feel, and act

well in some domain of life. In contrast, a vice is a
characteristic disposition to think, feel, and act poorly. Virtues
are not everyday habits; they are character traits, in the sense
that they are central to someone’s personality and what they
are like as a person.
To Aristotle, a virtue was not a skill that made you better able
to achieve eudaimonia but was itself an expression of
eudaimonia—eudaimonia in activity.
VIRTUE AND EMOTIONS
•In ancient Greek and modern eudaimonic virtue ethics, virtues

and vices are complex dispositions that involve both affective
and intellectual components. That is, they are dispositions that
involve both being able to reason well about the right thing to
do and also to engage emotions and feelings correctly.
According to Rosalind Hursthouse, in Aristotelian virtue
ethics, the emotions have moral significance because "virtues
(and vices) are all dispositions not only to act, but to feel
emotions, as reactions as well as impulses to action. In the
person with the virtues, these emotions will be felt on the right
occasions, toward the right people or objects, for the right
reasons, where 'right' means 'correct'.
PHRONESIS AND EUDAIMONIA
•Phronesis - (prudence, practical virtue, or practical wisdom) is
an acquired trait that enables its possessor to identify the best
thing to do in any given situation.
•Eudaimonia - is a state variously translated from Greek as

'well-being', 'happiness', 'blessedness', and in the context of
virtue ethics, 'human flourishing'.
According to Aristotle, - eudaimonia defines the goal of human life.
-it consists of exercising the characteristic human of quality
-In his Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle, like Plato, argued that the pursuit of
eudaimonia is an "activity of the soul in accordance with perfect virtue"
LIST OF VIRTUES
MORAL VIRTUES
•Aristotle suggested that each moral virtue was a mean
between two corresponding vices, one of excess and one of
deficiency. Each intellectual virtue is a mental skill or habit
by which the mind arrives at truth, affirming what is or
denying what is not.
MORAL VIRTUES
•Courage
•Temperance
•Justice
•Liberality
•Magnificence
•Patience
•Friendliness
•Prudence
• Truthfulness
INTELLECTUAL VIRTUES
•Nous
•Episteme
•Sophia
HOW CAN WE EXERCISE VIRTUE?
-Through habituations.
-habit develops character, character develops virtues, and

virtues develops our person.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF VIRTUE
ETHICS BY ARISTOTLE
ADVANTAGE
1. Emphasis on character: Virtue ethics focuses on developing good

character traits rather than following specific rules or principles.
2. Focus on the individual: Virtue ethics places importance on the

individual's personal development and flourishing.
3. Flexibility: Unlike other ethical theories that rely on rigid rules or

consequences, virtue ethics allows for flexibility in decision-making.
DISADVANTAGE
1. Lack of clear guidelines: Virtue ethics does not provide specific

guidelines for moral decision-making.
2. Subjectivity: Since virtue ethics places emphasis on individual character

and personal judgment, it can lead to subjective interpretations of what
constitutes virtuous behavior.
3. Lack of focus on consequences: Virtue ethics prioritizes the development

of virtuous character rather than focusing on the consequences of actions.
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VIRTUE ETHICS

•Virtue & Vice

•Virtue & Emotions

•Phronesis & Eudaimonia

•A virtue is a characteristic disposition to think, feel, and act

•In ancient Greek and modern eudaimonic virtue ethics, virtues

•Eudaimonia - is a state variously translated from Greek as

-habit develops character, character develops virtues, and

1. Emphasis on character: Virtue ethics focuses on developing good

2. Focus on the individual: Virtue ethics places importance on the

3. Flexibility: Unlike other ethical theories that rely on rigid rules or

1. Lack of clear guidelines: Virtue ethics does not provide specific

2. Subjectivity: Since virtue ethics places emphasis on individual character

3. Lack of focus on consequences: Virtue ethics prioritizes the development

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