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Aristotle ethics theory basics
Criticism of Kohlberg's stages of moral development
Criticism of Kohlberg's stages of moral development
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Individuals are not born with an ability to understand moral values and apply moral standards. As people mature, their physical, emotional, and cognitive abilities develop and so does their ability to deal with moral issues. Aristotle, an early Greek thinker who proposed one of the most influential theories of ethical thinking in the West, argued that our moral abilities which he called virtues or morally good habits, develop solely through constant practice and repetition, in the same way, he argued, humans acquire their moral abilities and when they are taught and habituated by their families and communities to think, feel and behave in morally appropriate ways. Such vitally important human values as courage, generosity, self-control, temperance, …show more content…
However, I agree that my personal values at the present are influenced by such social groups as family, peer group, sense of belonging to the nation. Maintaining the norms of these groups, is not on my part merely conforming to the expectations of others but also an exhibition of loyalty, as described by Kohlberg, to the interests of these …show more content…
When you 're being honest with people, generally they are trying to be honest with you, so it makes the communication process much easier. I abhor the idea of lying to people just for the purpose of reaching your own goals. Even when he or she succeeds I do not think there can be felt a whole lot of satisfaction from the accomplishment based on lies. Maybe I am sounding too idealistic but I strongly believe that our society would be much better if only people became more honest to each other. Primarily, the issue of honesty is concerned with politics and often we can see many crude and brutal crimes made against humanity, which could have been prevented if from the very start people were not deluded by the politicians '
He stated, “So virtue is a provisional disposition… virtue is a mean; but in respect of what is right and what is right and best, it is an extreme (Aristotle, 42).” Here Aristotle explains that moral virtue is determined by reason and that it avoids the states of too much, excess, or too little, deficiency. He believes that our soul is the principle of living because it is inside of us. Therefore, for Aristotle the soul was morally which is where we are given the right reason. He believes that, “there are two parts of the soul, one rational and one irrational (Aristotle, 145).” The rational part, which is how he believe we should do our actions upon, consists of possessing reason, part that can think and command, and intellectual virtues, which are virtues that come from time and experience. Courage is a moral virtue. When having courage, you either have too much fear, which makes you a coward, or you have too little fear, where you’d be considered rash or fool hardy. Generosity is also a moral virtue. When you are generous, you are either giving too much, which makes you profligate, or you are giving too little which would consider you as a stingy person. Moral virtues lead you to happiness because of their intermediate state that is by
An abundant amount of people would say they try to contain honesty, however, we are all liars, no matter how hard we try. Because of the pressure from society, we all are forced to make ourselves look and feel satisfactory with the rest of society. This is not just considering students in a school setting, but also parents and those at home. My cousin
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.
The theories of Aristotle, Kant, and Mill have influenced how we view morality. Each philosopher has their own vision as to how their theory of morality influences one’s culture and behaviors. The philosophers sought to explain the difference of what is right and wrong in terms of morality. Aristotle characterized his theory as virtue ethics, or what virtues make a good person. According to Kraut (2014) Aristotle felt that we must go beyond learning general rules and practice deliberative, emotional, and social skills that allow us to use our understanding of well-being, and practice in ways that are appropriate to each occasion. In other words Aristotle asks
Aristotle claims that there are two types of virtue: intellectual and moral. Intellectual virtues must be taught, so it requires experience and time. On the other hand, “none of the moral virtues arises in us by nature; for nothing that exists by nature can form a habit contrary to its nature.” (Aristotle 23) He says that when we are born, we all have the potential to be morally virtuous; it just depends on our upbringing and habits that determine who actually becomes virtuous. He confirms this with a metaphor to government, when he says, “legislators make the citizens good by forming habits in them.” (23) This is showing that on all levels, virtue is something that needs to be taught.
Ethical virtues deal with actions of courage, generosity, and moderation. Intellectual virtues deal with wisdom and contemplation. Ethical virtues are created through habitual actions. Aristotle says that humans are not born with a natural capacity for virtue. He believes that education and cultivation as youth by one’s parents are pivotal in setting up humans’ ability to make virtuous acts habitual.
The moral development of children can depend on many factors. Parenting and upbringing of the child, their environment, social environment, gender, and race are all aspects that can contribute to how a child develops their moral standards and expectations. Many psychologist have tried for several years to develop a theory to how morality is developed. One in particular is Lawrence Kohlberg (1958), his moral development theory is based on the cognitive development of children and it is thought that moral development proceeds and changes as cognitive development occurs (Arnett, 2012). Kohlberg’s moral development theory consist of 3 different levels each containing 2 stages altogether making 6 stages of moral development, as Kohlberg conducted
As Nicholas Fraiser once asked, “Why you always lyin’?”. Lies are often considered immoral, wrong, and deceitful . Some individuals hate being lied to. However one may argue that mild deception is important for human interaction, they prefer lies to hard truths. Lies are the backbone of human society.
Interest is sparked in this area that Aristotle writes of because there is a natural need for Ethics in human life. John K. Roth states, “Aristotle assumes that all things, human beings included, have a good, a purpose or end, which it is their nature to fulfill”. This helps one understand Aristotle’s way of thinking, and provides insight to the basis of his theories. A common theory explored by Aristotle is the Ethics of Virtues, and how to practice them. A theory included in Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics is the unity of all the virtues, and in order to be virtuous, one must exhibit all the virtues. One of these virtues being practical wisdom, or Phronesis.
He further suggests that moral virtues are the result of following the right habits in daily life. He considers that the potential for virtue is present in the humans by nature, but the virtuous acts are not determined by nature. Aristotle has argued that character is not
I do not know of anyone who wants to be known as Pinocchio, the wooden boy who lies and in a result, makes his nose grow bigger. As an old proverb says, honesty is the best policy. I agree with being honest at all times. First, telling the truth to me, is always the right thing. When I catch someone in a lie, I just think to myself, what has come up of this world? A person’s truths and lies prove who that person is, and what that person is capable of. Second, people can earn a great deal of respect and trust from telling the truth. Now, people trust their “gut feeling”, but someone’s “gut feeling” should always be truthful. Respect is something that is earned, and at sometimes, given to people who do the things that they are supposed to do for themselves and for others. Last, most people were taught to tell the truth at a very young age. A truth is
Even if the lies we tell are not very big lies, they are still lies. Another way people lie is on their resumes. Because job markets today are so competitive, people believe they need to fabricate details about themselves in order to get a job. The sad thing is, that is works a lot of the time; so, people continue to lie about themselves in professional settings to impress others. In addition, I think because society is more accepting of lying today, we tell more white lies; therefore, we are less honest
If you lie a lot it can lead to your family and friends to start to not trust you. It also hurts relationships. Lying is never right because it makes you feel guilty and it makes you feel like a good-for-nothing bad guy. I believe we should raise awareness about lying and how it has negative outcomes. We are teaching the next generation that lying is good. Imagine this if there ever becomes a point where everybody is lying and no one is being truthful. You probably wouldn’t want to live in that world, your grandchildren will also probably wouldn't want to live in such a corrupt and evil world. Let's make a change for the better and try not to
In order for these virtues to be enabled to fulfill their possessor’s life one “must have a prima facie plausibility with respect to the standard list of virtues” (Hursthouse, R. 1999). According to Aristotle, virtue is a disposition to act the right way, which is learned through practice at a young age. He believes that we all are born with the potential to be morally virtuous, but it is only by our actions in doing the right things that we become virtuous (Aristotle, 1931).
To start this section on moral virtue, Aristotle begins by showing that intellectual virtue can be caused by education. There are also moral virtues that are developed based on habits in someone’s life. These moral habits are developed by humans and we do not know them until we act on them. We need to have experience in order to experience them. Aristotle gives an example of building a house. We do not know how to build until we actually have done it correctly. We need to be put in a habit to practice moral virtues from a young age in life. He then continues by saying that these are meant to make us good. We need to look at our actions in order to see what is just and worthy. With this, all virtues are somewhere between excess and deficiency.