Moral Actions and Virtue Ethics

THE MORAL ACTIONS:
FEELINGS AND MORAL

DECISION MAKING
FEELINGS
 Is conscious experience brought by emotional
experience and physical sensations.
Examples: aches, tickles, feelings of pleasure,

warmth, and fatigue.
EMOTIONS
 These can be impacted by the culture where you
come from, your beliefs, and your traumatic
experiences. Emotions can be produced by a
thought, or memory, which can be completely
internalized.
EMOTIONS
 Examples are anger, fear, happiness,

sadness, blessedness, amusement,
confusion, etc.
Introduction
When people decide at the height of their
emotions, decisions made are most likely to be
subjective or biased. If one is mad, hurt,
depressed, or going through a painful
experience, his or her decisions may not be the
most appropriate ones as they are clouded with
strong emotional points and lack of objectivity.
PRESENTATION OF TOPICS:
•RATIONALISTIC POINT OF VIEW
•PSYCHOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW

RATIONALISTIC POINT OF VIEW
 TheRationalistic point of view is that

emotions have no place in moral
decisions.
RATIONALISTIC POINT OF VIEW
 According to this view, humans are
capable of using reason to overcome
their emotions and desires and to make
decisions based on what is rational and
objective.
PSYCHOLOGICAL POINT OF
VIEW
 The Psychological point of view is that

our moral decisions are based in our past
experiences in life.
MUST REMEMBER THE CONCEPTS:
• EMOTIONS
• FEELINGS
•RATIONALISTIC POINT OF VIEW
•PSYCHOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW
Virtue
Ethics
Plato and Aristotle offer virtue
theories of ethics.
Virtue theories rely on an analogy
between health (the good of the
body)
and eudemonia (the good of the
mind).
• Virtue ethics was derived from or
is closely associated to Aristotle’s
Nicomachean Ethics. The term
virtue comes from the latin word
‘virtus’ which means manhood or
perhaps ‘worth’.
Nicomachean Ethics
By: Aristotle
This refers to the words or actions of man that is
based from virtue instead from duty or consequences,
it does not posit a question, ‘what shall I do or
perhaps what rule I ought to follow?’ Rather, how
should I carry out my life if I am to live well?’
VIRTUE ETHICS
• It is the ethical framework that is

concerned with understanding the good as
a matter of developing the virtuous
character of a person.
VIRTUE ETHICS
• Virtue ethics, on the other hand, focuses on the

formation of one’s character brought about by
determining and doing virtuous acts.
Arete (Virtue) as Moral
Excellence
Moral Excellence
• Virtues are life- skills that enable a
person to realize their potential for
living the good life as a rational, social,
animal.
Moral Excellence
• A virtue (arete, excellence) is a character trait,
acquired by practice, that disposes a person to
adopt the right course of action in morally
charged situations.
Moral Excellence
• Since virtue has the ability to bring positive changes
and enhance the quality of life, it is power in itself. It
is power as disposition or state. This power is a means
to attain excellence or human excellence, “the ability
to function according to reason and to perform an
activity well or excellently”
Virtue as the Golden Mean
(Nicomachean Ethics)
The concept of virtue is explained
by the golden mean (Mesotes or
measurement). It is a means by
which the human person is acting
in measured way being rational.
Virtue as the Golden Mean
(Nicomachean Ethics)
The question therefore to be asked is
“where can I find excellence?” The
answer is found in the mean or
moderation. Example, the lack of
love is hatred or indifference.
Excessive love is obsession .
Virtue as Golden Mean
The mean is in the middle. It signifies how strong
you are to withstand tension between the lack of
and excess of love. It is the test to the moral
character of an individual. Aristotle is concerned
about achieving the appropriate action which is
neither deficient nor excessive. Virtue is found in
the middle or intermediary between extremes.
Virtue as Golden Mean
According to Aristotle, the mean or Mesotes does not
depend on the person because it is different from one
person to another. Otherwise, the person will be accused of
relativism or subjectivism. Rather, the Mesotes depends on
the situation. It requires a serious consideration and
examination or the situation. It is the situation that will
determine where Mesotes is found or what is the Mesotes
for a particular situation
BELOW IS A LIST OF VIRTUES. THE LIST WILL BE HELPFUL FOR YOU
STUDENTS, TO ASSESS HOW MUCH YOU HAVE GIVEN YOURSELVES TO
THEM. IT WILL ENCOURAGE YOU TO GIVE IT A TRY OR STRENGTHEN THEM
FOR BETTER COMMITMENT AND STRONGER STANCE.
- Punctuality - Patience
- Benevolence - Temperance
- Courage - Prudence
- Discipline - Righteousness
- Courage - Wisdom
- Chastity - Integrity
- Resilience - Fortitude
- Faith - Love
- Charity -Obedience
- Commitment - Religiosity
- Knowledge -Prayerfulness
- Piety - Mindfulness
- Patriotism - Impartiality
Conclusion
Arete or virtue being the mean of all moral
actions really requires character. It is a
difficult job to maintain oneself in the
middle as there are always situations that
can tempt individuals to depart from the
middle.
Conclusion
People may easily slide to either of the
extremes of lack or excess. Virtue ethics is a
framework or model in ethics to remind us
about the importance of forming the
character of the individual that can help one
to remain in the middle or attain excellence.
Thank
You!

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THE MORAL ACTIONS:

FEELINGS AND MORAL

Examples: aches, tickles, feelings of pleasure,

 Examples are anger, fear, happiness,

•RATIONALISTIC POINT OF VIEW

•PSYCHOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW

 TheRationalistic point of view is that

 The Psychological point of view is that

• It is the ethical framework that is

• Virtue ethics, on the other hand, focuses on the

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