Character And Virtue Ethics In Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

s turn towards Aristotelians’ approach to defining what character and virtue mean. In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotelian is defined. Character is about a current state of being and action. In virtue ethics “character traits are stable, fixed, and reliable dispositions.” This means that a person with a specific character trait is constant in their actions. So someone who is honest is constantly honest in any situation whether or not it is easy. We are born with “natural tendencies” that help shape our character. Our environment can mold and create our character in a positive or a negative way. As a result character is a long progress. In life we tend to look up to older people to be our role models in life. These role models help us to become

Being a moral person involves caring about the well-being of others and striving to better those people. With this criticism, critics state that virtue ethics is self-centered because it looks at the character of the individual. With morality, it calls us to look at others and to help, not because it may benefit us, but so that it benefits the other individual. If virtue ethics is self-centered then well-being is seen as self-interest. Then well-being does not tie in with other people. So well-being cannot be what eudaimonists have it to be. Although this criticism brings up a good point. It is noted that they forget how virtue plays into this theory. These virtues take into account others. With this theory people consider and grow the right kind of character in order to help others out. With eudaemonist they state that there is a connection between the well-being of oneself and the well-being of another human being. Virtue ethics requires there to be a connection between morality and the interest in oneself

The concern is that virtue ethics can leave us a victim to luck. Since we only praise or blame choices of action when they are taken under conscious choice, many things outside our control can affect whether we take virtuous action or not. For instance, a good education, good habits, positive influences, etc. can help the development of virtue. The opposite is also true. Negative influencing facts will promote the opposite of virtue. If this is true, then the development of virtue or lack of development is largely subject to a matter of luck. In some instances, external goods are available and there will be more ease in the development of virtue. However, if we have not control of this availability, then how can we praise or blame the development or lack of development of virtue? This good life is very vulnerable because of the chance of the presence of external goods. This is an essential ingredient of the human condition making the attainment of the good life even more