What did aristotle say about human purpose and explain what his virtue ethics is?
that everyone has a function/purpose - a telos
and the ultimate goal is human flourishing and developing those characteristics best suited to a virtuous human being. purpose of man is rational thought and highest good can be found in intellectual virtue.
the emphasis on not on what people do but the kind of person they are although being a kind person, for example, is accomplished by practicing acts of kindness until the habit of being kind is firmly established in a persons character.
man still has to live practically in the world so what other virtue must he possess other than intellectual virtue? explain why and give example
moral virtues - such as courage, good temper, wittiness and modesty
the person who aims to cultivate these qualities is maximising their potential for a happy life
what is eudaimonia?
involves being happy and living well, it is of intrinsic value, not a means to an end and should be desired for its own sake.
why will a person who has developed moral virtues be able to act in an integrated way?
because they derive satisfaction from doing the right thing and not for external reasons or goals
they act not because they ought or want to but because they have identified the right way to act.
the right way to act is the golden mean, what is this? give an example
the perfect balance between two extremes for exaple between cowardice and foolhardiness the golden mean in courage.
what should the good person do and who should they learn from?
should learn from virtuous role models, and train virtues until they become an automatic way of living and behaving and part of his character which he can exercise without conscious effort
the genuinely virtuous person is virtuous all the time because he has cultivated the habit of virtue, habits of virtue enable us to…..
say someone is a good person and anticipate what they do will display goodness even if they aren’t currently engaged in doing so. there must be a continuous attempt on the part of a person to practice value
what did Ascombe do?
he revived virtue ethics and observed that ethical codes which lay stress on moral absolutes are incorrect in a society that has abandoned God. he urged a return to morality based on human flourishing
who rejected a system of morality which was based on divine commands and discouraged people from achieving their potential. he argued emphasis christianity places on equality….
taylor
..doesn’t encourage individuals to strive to be great but advocates a self negating humanity
foot argued …
that virtues can’t guarantee happiness but they go some way to achieving it
what does MacIntyre say is good about virtue ethics?
a virtue based approach is more realistic and applicable to everyday and that in moral dilemmas naturalist theories are overly complex and too time consuming
what are the strengths of virtue ethics?
- can be accommodated by both religious and secular morality
- jesus could be held up as a model for a virtuous man
- simple system based on universal wellbeing
- by holding up models of virtuous people it doesn’t set unrealistic goals
- it is accessible by reference to the real world - if i describe a person as courageous it generates a picture of someone who lives in a particular way and whose life recommends itself to the observer
what are the weaknesses of virtue ethics?
- doesn’t guide which virtues should be cultivated most and this may vary in different cultures,
- it is possible a virtuous person may not be to everyone a desirable role model
- not everyone wants to cultivate the virtues or maintains that they are morally good
- golden mean not easy to apply to all virtues e.g. compassion
- aristotle gave no guidance in situations when virtues conflict
- can be seen as selfish, emphasis is on being and personal development rather than the effect our actions have on others
- virtues he values are masculine so approach could be seen as chauvinistic giving little value to feminine virtues
- only attractive to those who have the time, inclination and ability to engage in speculative moral philosophy
