Virtue ethics, also sometimes called aspirational ethics, focuses on the character of an individual as the key element of morality; thus, an act is right if performed by a fully virtuous person. When compared to the other main ethical theories, such as utilitarian or deontological ethics, virtue ethics aims to answer fundamentally different questions: “What sort of person should I be?” and “What is the good life?”. Aristotle, the first formulator of virtue ethics, focused on three key concepts within virtue ethics: eduaimonia, arête, and telos. Eduaimonia can best be defined as “happiness”, “well-being”, or flourishing of an individual. Arete is virtue which can be defined as “whatever makes a thing an ‘outstanding specimen’ of its kind”. Finally, …show more content…
According to virtue ethics, the “good life” is reached when potential is actualized. In other words, Aristotle focused on life as a voyage where your purpose (telos) is to spend your life understanding and growing your virtues (arête) as this ultimately leads to flourishing (eduaimonia) and the “good life”. There are of course many characteristics and traits that could be considered virtues so Aristotle formulated two distinct sets of virtues, which are the virtues of thought and the virtues of character. Virtues of thought can be gained through teachings and experience. These intellection virtues could include practical judgement, reasoning, or technical intuition. However, virtues of character are moral virtues and can be gained through practice and the ingraining of actions. Though not always true, many virtues of character are thought to be a mean between deficiency and excess. For example, courage is a virtue of character and it is a mean between fearfulness and recklessness. A virtue as a mean also suggests that practicing a virtue in excess would be morally …show more content…
From those requirements, the test engineer must develop an adequate system-level test solution and provide a comprehensive test coverage report, which details each test case and if it was adequately tested. This report is typically made available to the customer or client to aid in understanding the risk associated with the final avionics system overall. The final test coverage report is perhaps the highest culmination of diligence, technical competence, integrity, and collegiality for a test engineer, especially when testing flight critical systems. The engineer must have the technical competence to understand the drawbacks of their custom testing systems, the diligence to correctly adhere to all communicated testing requirements, and the integrity to report any test case that is not covered in the test coverage report. Additionally, when their test system is entered to the production floor to being rigorous testing of avionics systems and a device under test (DUT) fails a test case, especially if this device is critical to flight due to schedule or cost such as a flight controller, they must have the integrity and competence to decide the fate of that DUT. This combination of these virtues, falling under virtues of thought or characters, are effectively what lead to the “good life” or flourishing for test
An employee of ABC Company, Luke is in charge with a project of developing new purchased land. The company is planning to build an adult entertainment retail store which confidently lay near where his brother, Owen, lives. If the plans are announced to the public, the property of the surrounding neighborhood will drop significantly. What concerned Luke is that Owen just told him about the offer to sell his house at a decent price compared to the current real estate market. However, Owen is considering if he should wait for a couple year and sell his house later at a higher price as the estate value may increase.
In Aristotle 's Nicomachean Ethics, the basic idea of virtue ethics is established. The most important points are that every action and decision that humans make is aimed at achieving the good or as Aristotle 's writes, “Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and choice, is thought to aim at the good... (Aristotle 1094a). Aristotle further explains that this good aimed for is happiness.
To begin with, Aristotle tells us his meaning of virtues and vices. They are not just any habits that we experience, but the outcome of what we feel as pleasure or pain. A virtuous person feels pleasure at the most beautiful action. A person who is not virtuous will feel their pleasure misleading. the definition of virtue is a behavior showing high moral standards or good characteristics. Virtues comes as a consequence of following the right habits. There are two different types of virtues: Intellectual and moral. To have virtues you have to have intellectual morals. This means you ethically do things on your own, you comprehend what doing, and realizing why you doing it. Aristotle says we can describe virtu...
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.
When we discuss morality we know that it is a code of values that seem to guide our choices and actions. Choices and actions play a significant role in determining the purpose and course of a person’s life. In the case of “Jim and the Indians”, Jim faces a terrible dilemma to which any solution is morbid. On one hand, Jim can choose to ignore the captain’s suggestion and let the whole group of Indians be executed. Alternatively, he may decide upon sacrificing one Indian for the sake of saving the rest. Both options involve taking of person’s life. Regarding what should Jim do in this circumstance, there are two approaches according for Jim’s dilemma that should be examined. By looking into the Deontological moral theory and the moral theory of Consequentialism we can see what determines an action that is morally required.
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
Aristotle's ethics consist of a form of virtue ethics, in which the ethical action is that which properly complies with virtue(s) by finding the mean within each particular one. Aristotle outlines two types of virtues: moral/character virtues and intellectual virtues. Though similar to, and inspired by, Plato and Socrates’ ethics, Aristotle's ethical account differs in some areas.
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.
Virtue ethics is a theory about finding our highest good and doing so will develop a vigorous character within each person. Character is important because it shows that a person has certain beliefs and desires in doing the right thing and when the right thing is accomplished, happiness follows (Hartman, 2006). Virtue ethics derives from Aristotle and he concludes that by doing virtuous acts all through life happiness and respectable character will develop (Morrison & Furlong, 2013). Finding the highest good within oneself brings happiness and great character to that individual.
Secondly, the possibility of the right to lie is refuted on the basis of virtue ethics, which maintains that lying is morally wrong though the argument or claim is less strict as compared to Kant’s statement. Virtue ethics generally provides a different approach to ethics by focusing on character development of individuals. As a result, virtue ethicists tend to look at what people should be with regards to their character rather than determining the right or wrong of a behavior simply on the basis of reason and desired and undesired behavior (Mazur par, 5). In this case, virtues are desirable characteristics of individuals that make them act in a specific way. According to virtue ethicists, being virtuous is regarded as being ethical because it is a reflection of the individual traits of fairness and striving towards accomplishment of human potential.
In Nichomachean Ethics, virtue is defined as achieving good. Virtue is a state of character, which Aristotle says is pointless to examine. All that matters is the achievement of good. He says that there are two kinds of virtue, intellectual and moral. Moral virtue is a disposition to behave in the correct manner. Virtue must be taught from a young age. It is striking a balance between deficiency and excess, which are vices.
According to Aristotle, a virtue is a state that makes something good, and in order for something to be good, it must fulfill its function well. The proper function of a human soul is to reason well. Aristotle says that there are two parts of the soul that correspond to different types of virtues: the appetitive part of the soul involves character virtues, while the rational part involves intellectual virtues. The character virtues allow one to deliberate and find the “golden mean” in a specific situation, while the intellectual virtues allow one to contemplate and seek the truth. A virtuous person is someone who maintains an appropriate balance of these two parts of the soul, which allows them to reason well in different types of situations.
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.
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.
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.