Virtue ethics is a character-based philosophical approach to morality. It seeks to understand and live a life of moral character. While, it seem easier to determine whether consequentialism or deontology probably influence the making an ethical decision retrospectively. The actual moral value of an act cannot be determined retroactively from the future, where one already knows the consequences. As such, whether or not one is acting virtuously is determined at the time of the act, given one's intent, one's skill in reasoning, and the context of the act. In this regard, virtue theory assumes that, as humans, we acquire virtue through practice. Therefore, by practicing being honest, brave, just, generous, and compassionate, a person develops an honorable and moral character. Virtue ethics proposes that by honing these virtuous …show more content…
I argue that neither consequentialism nor deontology is a better moral philosophy in terms of agreeing with Christianity as a lifestyle. I am of the opinion that Jesus Christ was probably a virtue-ethicist (the third major ethical theory). Jesus Christ's greatest teaching, love, is neither consequentialist nor deontological. It is very squarely in the realm of virtue-ethics. All the examples of Jesus Christ’s central teaching of love are not at all contrary to the Law of Moses, in fact, in every case of it, the teaching goes further in the same direction. For example, Judaic laws condemned killing; Jesus condemns hate and anger. The law forbade adultery; Jesus declared that a lustful look is virtual adultery. However, we observe further that Jesus not only tells us what we
Virtue ethics is an approach that “deemphasizes rules, consequences and particular acts and places the focus on the kind of person who is acting” (Garrett, 2005). A person’s character is the totality of his character traits. Our character traits can be goo...
On Virtue Ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. http://www.oxfordscholarship.com. ———. "
Virtue ethics is a moral theory that was first developed by Aristotle. It suggests that humans are able to train their characters to acquire and exhibit particular virtues. As the individual has trained themselves to develop these virtues, in any given situation they are able to know the right thing to do. If everybody in society is able to do the same and develop these virtues, then a perfect community has been reached. In this essay, I shall argue that Aristotelian virtue ethics is an unsuccessful moral theory. Firstly, I shall analyse Aristotelian virtue ethics. I shall then consider various objections to Aristotle’s theory and evaluate his position by examining possible responses to these criticisms. I shall then conclude, showing why Aristotelian virtue ethics is an unpractical and thus an unsuccessful moral theory in reality.
Hursthouse, R. (2003, July 18). Virtue Ethics. Stanford University. Retrieved March 6, 2014, from http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2013/entries/ethics-virtue
In Christianity, the emphasis is placed on love of God rather than on obeying his will. People must believe that God is merciful and loves them as well. As a reflection of God’s love, people must also love other people (and the whole humanity in general) and forgive their enemies.
45 million Americans with low income rely on at least one of the many welfare programs. Of these government assistance programs, many of them deal with fraud and abuse. “Some cases of government assistance misuse are more blatant than others, but some aid recipients are using sneaky tactics that give other needy Americans a bad reputation” (calonia 1). Clearly, people are abusing the system in order to receive money they do not deserve. This makes it harder for people who need the welfare programs to get the money they need to support a family.
Virtue theory is the best ethical theory because it emphasizes the morality of an individual in which their act is upon pure goodness and presents as a model to motivate others. Aristotle was a classical proponent of virtue theory who illustrates the development habitual acts out of moral goodness. Plato renders a brief list of cardinal virtues consisting of wisdom, temperance, courage, and justice. This ethical theory prominently contradicts and links to other theories that personifies the ideal being. However, virtue theorists differ from their own expression of these qualities yet it sets a tone that reflects on the desire to express kindness toward others.
The virtue ethics approach differs with other frameworks in that; it is not an ethical theory in the same way that Utilitarianism or Kantianism are, It is not so much a guide for moral decision-making, more a description of the moral life. Theories such as Utilitarianism and Kantianism address the question “How should I act?” – Virtue Theory addresses the questions “How should I live my life?”, and “What kind of person should I be?”It is interested in the whole person, not just their actions.
Acquiring virtues takes place throughout a person’s whole life so it states there is a need to show that good actions are rewarding and that virtue is learnt through doing and following the example of virtuous role models, e.g. Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela. Whilst this is a strength in itself, what further makes the theory more favourable is the psychological context that can be given to this way of learning virtues. One psychologist Alfred Bandura put forward social learning theory in 1977 as a possible explanation of how we learn from our environment through observation and reinforcement. This can be linked to virtue ethics because it shows that we will watch role models and their behaviour and imitate it, developing a system of virtues that are rewarding which will ultimately lead us to eudaimonia. This gives some form of theoretical evidence to virtue ethics which makes it seem a more realistic way of thinking about goodness and how we must achieve
The Virtue Approach: assumes that there are certain ideals toward which we should strive, which provide for the full development of our humanity.
Virtue Ethics Virtue ethics is a theory used to make moral decisions. It does not rely on religion, society or culture; it only depends on the individuals themselves. The main philosopher of Virtue Ethics is Aristotle. The. His theory was originally introduced in ancient Greek.
When the theory is compared with the deontological or consequential theories, it is evident that the aim of virtue ethics is not to primarily make identification of universal principles that can only be applied in certain moral situations. On the other hand virtue ethics theories mostly deal with wider questions like, which is the best way to live?" or even "What is the meaning of good life?" and others like "What are some of the regularly considered proper family or social
This theory involves evaluating the individual making the decision rather than the actions or consequences themselves. Aristotle defined “virtue as a character trait that manifests itself in habitual actions.” (Boatright, 2012) This means that you are not considered virtuous because you did the right thing one time, you must be consistent. Virtue character traits include: compassion, courage, courtesy, etc. these traits not only allow for ethical decision making but they also provide happiness to the individual possessing the traits. When a person has virtue as a part of their character their actions will be moral and ethical without having to choose between what they want to do and what they should do – the decision would be the same. Their actions and feelings would coincide with the moral rationale of the virtue theory. Advantages of the virtue theory are instilling good moral character traits into individuals allowing for more ethical decision making based on personal character. Also, the virtue theory promotes happiness through good moral character which encourages people to make ethical business decisions but also ethical personal decisions – leading to a more fulfilling life. A disadvantage is virtue ethics is trying to determine a list of virtues that people should possess, each trait needs to be carefully
Morality and the Bible & nbsp; Both the legal and salvation philosophies of the Old and New Testaments reflect those of the cultures around them, due to much copying and borrowing of laws and ideas. Furthermore, all societies around the world have similar moral and legal codes -- which is certainly not an accident. & nbsp; Interestingly enough, the moral codes of the world's religions bear a striking resemblance to each other, with only minor variations. Religions as different as Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism all have proscriptions against killing, lying, cheating, stealing, etc. This is not an accident, for reasons we shall explore below. & nbsp; Christians may then object that there is something unique about the Bible that makes it a superior moral code.
1.Virtue ethics is the most important concept I learned in class. I learned that the commitment to being a good and virtuous person is the key to an ethical life. Having this said, in order to have an ethical life I need to dedicate myself to being an excellent person. My virtues will be the face of whom I am. Many of these virtues will come from my early childhood and from home. If one day I will come a manager, I will embrace to have a good character by doing the right things based on my ethical principles rather because following the rules. Having a good character will imply being good in any situation that I will come across, in other words being virtuous all the time. Having a good character matters, this will defined me as a virtuous person, which will lead me to be a better person overall. For example, I will not steal from my coworkers because that’s just something I don’t do, rather than I won’t steal of my coworkers because I could get in trouble.