Personal Code Of Virtue Ethics

For my personal code of ethics I vow to judge someone based off of their entire character and not one single action, to respect an individual’s ability to self-rule, and to be honest and respect myself and others. Virtue ethics is very important to me because I believe someone’s character says the most about him or her. I think that a person’s actions help define who someone is, but those actions come from that same person’s character. I also believe that a single action that someone chooses to make shouldn’t define that person entirely. Whether the action is good or bad, it shouldn’t determine how a person is perceived. I believe this because second chances are very important to me and if someone makes a mistake they should be able to make

it up by showing who they really are.
Recently, respect for autonomy is something that has become more prominent for me. I am a firm believer that people should be able to make decisions for themselves. I find this to be essential to existence because everyone is there own human being and we only get one shot at life, so everyone should be able to think, and decide what is best for him or her. Mill’s theory is also known as the principle of liberty because this theory does not limit someone’s autonomy to follow the law, but instead it allows people to do what they feel makes them independent. This is important because not everything that is lawful is right. Many laws made by humans haven’t always been just, such as slavery and women’s rights issues. This is why I believe it is important for people to do what they think is most right instead of what is most accepted.
Because virtue ethics and respect for autonomy include human subjectivity, human mistakes come along with it. This is where honesty and respecting others come into effect. My parents and peers taught me that you should do everything honestly and respectfully to others, and the same applies with virtue and respect for autonomy. Honesty and respect for others are the checks and balances of everything in life. I believe that if you are honest with yourself and the people around you, that is all you can do. I also believe that when you make a decision you must ask yourself if you are making it while being respectful to other people. If you are applying these checks and balances before doing any action or making any decision, you will do the right thing.