VIRTUE ETHICS

6.53

Week 2, Lecture 1
THINKING ETHICALLY: MORAL
REASONING THEORIES (FRAMEWORKS)

Virtue Ethics (Vices and Virtues)

Utilitarianism (Consequences)
Ubuntu Ethics (Community)
Deontology (Duty)
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 ethical framework that emphasizes the
development of virtues, or good
character traits, as the key to living a
morally good life.

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ARISTOTLE (384-322 BCE)

• One of the most influential philosophers of all
time, alongside his teacher Plato.
• Pioneered a system of ethics called virtue ethics,
which continues to be influential in moral
philosophy to this day that focuses on the
AGENT, the person who performs the action -
the person’s character
• Aristotle’s virtue ethics relies on teleological
reasoning – reasoning from the purpose (telos)
of things i.e., Actions
• NICOMACHEAN ETHICS – laid out
Aristotle’s virtue ethical theory focusing on the
nature of human actions (telos/goals)

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NICOMACHEAN
ETHICS
• Aristotle’s best-known work on ethics: the science
of the moral good for human life.
• It has a profound and lasting influence on
Western thought about ethical matters.
• It’s big virtue ethics question: What kind of a
person ought I to be? Answer: A virtuous
person = motives + habits. What is special in
virtue ethics is your motives and habits.
• Question of character: What sort of person
would I like to be and how do I go about
becoming that person?

Practice! Learning!! and Habit!!!

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IN NICOMACHEAN
ETHICS…
• According to Aristotle, all human functions
contribute to eudaimonia, which is A HIGHEST
GOOD that all things aim or seek for.
• Aristottle claims that to discover the human good
we must identify the function of a human being.
• He argues that the human function is rational
activity - trees and animals can’t do it!!
• Our good is therefore rational activity
performed well, which Aristotle takes to mean in
accordance with VIRTUES

Korsgaard, 2008:128

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IN NICOMACHEAN
ETHICS…
• Virtues are character dispositions or
personality traits, which are purposive and
settled in determining the right way to behave
or act for the sake of it.
• Virtues are traits of character manifested in
Virtues: Character traits that involve habitual action that is considered good for a
finding the right balance in one's actions person to have.
and behaviour, such as courage, • Opposite of Virtues are Vices, which are traits
temperance, and justice. of character manifested in habitual action that
NB: Virtues are not found outside social is considered bad for a person to have.
contexts and practices.

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IN NICOMACHEAN
ETHICS…
• Virtues lie in the middle of two extremes of vices
of deficiency and excess. Vices of deficiency
>>[VIRTUE]<< Vices of Excess
• This midpoint is known as ‘The Golden Mean’,
which is the desirable middle between two
extremes, one of deficiency and the other of
excess.
• ‘The Golden Mean’ is a tool to gauge where
virtue falls between extremes of deficiency and
excess.
• Virtue is a Golden Mean between these extremes NB: virtues make a person a
of vices and can shift according to the person good citizen, a good
and the situation.
neighbor etc
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IN NICOMACHEAN
ETHICS…
• Virtues are therefore not the same for
everyone.
• Virtues differ from person to person: they
lead different lives, different personalities,
and different social roles.
• E.g., a football player, a priest, a geisha, or a
samurai warrior.
• Even with our differences, however,
“Relativism” – the idea that Aristotle believes that there are some
there may be very different virtues that will need to be cultivated by
virtues in different societies all persons at all times.
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 KEY VIRTUES ACCORDING TO ARISTOTLE FOR
LIVING A VIRTUOUS LIFE

Courage and Temperance Generosity and Magnificence Magnanimity and Humility

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 IN NICOMACHEAN
ETHICS…

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 IN NICOMACHEAN
ETHICS…
• “every moral virtue has an extreme”of deficiency
and excess. Note: the Golden Mean (virtue) can shift
according to the person and the situation
• The moderate position between these two extreme
vices is where virtuous behaviour exists.
• Moral behaviour is the virtuous behaviour between
two extremes of vice of deficiently and the vice of
excess acquired by habit or practice
• Modern account: virtues are dispositions of character,
acquired by ethical training, coaching and
NB: Virtues can vary from culture mentoring displayed not just in action but in
to culture and through history patterns of emotional reaction.
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 THE FUNDAMENTALS OF
ARISTOTLE'S VIRTUE
THEORY - EUDAIMONIA

• According to Aristotle, the ultimate goal of human

life is to achieve EUDAIMONIA (good life),
which is achieved through virtuous actions and
moral character.
• Achieving a moral character is based on the practice
of living virtuously (excellently ) ; it’s not
ingrained but learnable.
Jul 12 2023 • Living full, flourishing life is not a matter of being
Eudaimonia: Aristotle's ultimate born a good person, but of consistently using
reason well to decide the appropriate cause of
goal for human life, often action within different contexts in which you find
translated as well-being, or yourself.
flourishing.
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THE FUNDAMENTALS OF
ARISTOTLE'S VIRTUE
THEORY - EUDAIMONIA
• Aristotle believed that Eudaimonia can only be
attained by cultivating virtues and aligning one’s
actions with moral excellence
 For Aristotle, Eudaimonia is not a fleeting emotion
or a momentary state of bliss but is that we seek as a
goal that is an end in itself
 For Aristotle, Eudaimonia is a lifelong pursuit that
requires individuals to constantly strive for personal
growth and moral development.
• It is through the cultivation of virtues that one can
attain a sense of fulfilment and purpose in life.
• Virtues play a central role in the pursuit or Jul 12 2023
achievement of Eudaimonia.

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 THE FUNDAMENTALS OF
ARISTOTLE'S VIRTUE THEORY -
EUDAIMONIA
• “A person who has achieved Eudaimonia, and who
automatically makes the virtuous choice” is a Moral
Exemplar achieved through habituation or practice of the
exercise of virtue
• This automatic disposition is referred to as HEXIS - an
active condition, a state in which something must actively
hold itself.
• The moral value of an action derives from the fully
developed inner state (such as wisdom, courage,
Jul 12 2023 temperance, or justice) of an agent.
• Hursthouse states a virtue ethics criterion of right action as
follows: An action is right if and only if “it is what a
virtuous agent would characteristically (i.e., acting in
character) do in the circumstances” (1999, p. 28)
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THE FUNDAMENTALS OF
ARISTOTLE'S VIRTUE
THEORY

CASE: GIVING TO A BEGGAR

• Giving R20, if you have millions (Vice of
Greed)
• Giving R20, if you only have R30 left for
the rest of the month (Vice of
irresponsibility)
• Giving R20, if your bills are paid, and you
have enough left in the bank to see you Jul 12 2023
through (Virtue of generosity).
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 THE FUNDAMENTALS OF
ARISTOTLE'S VIRTUE THEORY

It is teleological ethical theory focused on

purpose or goals of things

It does not prescribe fundamental criteria for

actions as either right or wrong (as in other
ethical theories)

Jul 12 2023 It is based Character–based approach to

morality centered around the pursuit of
eudaimonia.

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 THE FUNDAMENTALS OF
ARISTOTLE'S VIRTUE
THEORY
• Virtue ethics is non-prescriptive as an ethical
theory (unlike Deontology and Utilitarianism)
• Virtue ethics asks a different question about the
character of the actor (Who do I want to be?)
• Other ethical theories are concerned with the
right action (What is the right thing to do?)
• BENEFITS OF VIRTUE ETHICS :
• It leaves room for actions dependent on the
nuances of the situation (unlike Deontology) Jul 12 2023
• It is not beholden to a single all-deciding
external variable (unlike Utilitarianism)
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 THE FUNDAMENTALS OF
ARISTOTLE'S VIRTUE
THEORY
Advantages of Virtue Ethics:
Moral Motivation
• Virtue ethics gives a natural and attractive account of moral
motivation.
• e.g., say you go to visit a friend out of duty or because it is the
right thing to do.
• Theories that only emphasize duty or actions of ‘ought’ will never
provide a satisfactory account of moral life. Why?
Doubts about the ideal of Impartially:
• Are we able to be impartial or should we be impartial where the
interests of our friends and family are concerned?
Jul 12 2023 • e.g., think of the example of savings your friend’s daughter vs
your daughter.

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 THE FUNDAMENTALS OF
ARISTOTLE'S VIRTUE
THEORY
Disadvantage of virtue ethics is the problem
of incompleteness:
• It neglects the question of prescribing what we should do.
• It doesn’t tell us exactly what we should do i.e., what actions
we need to take to be this good person is left up to us.
Suppose you must choose between A and B
• A = the action would be dishonest but kind
• B = the action would be unkind but honest
What do you do?
Jul 12 2023 Which virtues take precedence?
• We need moral guidance with Virtue Ethics
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 FIN

NEXT TIME:

• Utilitarianism, focus is on
maximizing best consequences
of actions

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