Word Finder and Virtue Ethics
Word Finder is an application that “scans the dictionary” (LoveToKnow, Corp., n.d.) to find useable words out of random letters for games like Scrabble and Words with Friends. It even lets you enter up to two question marks for unknown letters. It is free and as available as the Internet itself. But is it ethical to use it? This paper will discuss the use of Word Finder from the perspective of a branch of normative ethics (Athanassoulis , n.d.) called virtue ethics.
Virtue Ethics
Virtue ethics is at least as old as the 4th century BCE philosopher, Aristotle. It was Aristotle who contemplated that ethics should be more about who we are and less about devising a balance sheet of consequences like consequentialism
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With the exception of my husband, with whom I also play, none of my opponents are able to watch me play. As previously mentioned, Word Finder is a readily available and rapid way of determining, given your available letters, the best word to play in Scrabble. If I used Word Finder, it is likely that I would win every game. No one would know I used it except for me. And, on the surface, no one and nothing would be harmed by my using it, except, perhaps, my opponent’s ego when they lose the game. Thus, the dilemma is, should I use Word Finder to give me the best, highest scoring word possible in my …show more content…
As discussed in the BBC article, Virtue Ethics (2014), virtues change over time. The four more current virtues according to James F. Keenan are justice, fidelity, self-care and prudence (BBC, 2014).
Justice
To be just is to be fair and to “treat all humans equally” (BBC, 2014). If I were to use Word Finder it certainly would not be just as I would have an unfair advantage over my opponent.
Fidelity
Fidelity is akin to loyalty as it “requires that we treat people closer to us with special care” (BBC, 2014). Again, a virtuous person in my shoes would be more careful with the egos and trust of my friends and thus would not use Word Finder.
Self-care
If I am to care for myself, “affectively, mentally, physically, and spiritually” BBC (2014), then I have to contemplate whether being a cheater is good for my mental or spiritual health. Cheating could cause guilt since I am not being fair to those close to me. Full of guilt and concerned about my self-perception (e.g., am I always a cheater? Do I want a reputation of a cheater?) I conclude using Word Finder is not an aspect of self-care.
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.
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...
The first question that immediately comes to mind is that these virtues seem to be only conceptions. Can these conceptions really be used for everyday practicality? An example of this could,again, go back to courage. For Aristotle courage is the appropriate response to danger. But, is that always the case? It would seem that in some situations of danger, the deficient vice of cowardice might be a more appropriate response. Consider a situation in which you are walking alone in a dark alley at night. Someone confronts you, points a gun in your face, and demands all your money. The correct response to this situation, for Aristotle, is courage, but what type of courage? Is there a mean within the mean of courage for this situation? Perhaps the best thing to do is be cowardly and just give up your money. Would this be acceptable or would this be a cowardly vice in response to danger? According to Aristotle, your wrong if you don 't employ courage to this danger, but in reality, this appears the “right” thing to
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.
In this essay I will consider the objections to Virtue Ethics (VE) raised by Robert Louden in his article entitled On Some Vices of Virtue Ethics which was published in 1984. It is important to note at the outset of this essay that it was not until 1991 that the v-rules came up in literature. So Louden is assuming throughout his article that the only action guidance that VE can give is “Do what the virtuous agent would do in the circumstances.” I will be addressing Louden’s objections with the benefit of knowing about the v-rules. First of all, let us discuss what VE is. VE is a normative ethical theory that emphasises the virtues or moral character, thus it focuses on the moral agent. It differs from Deontology which emphasises duties or rules, and Utilitarianism which emphasises the consequences of our actions.
In short story “The Cheater’s Guide to Love,” written by Junot Diaz, we observe infidelity and the negative effects it has on relationships. Anyone who cheats will eventually get caught and will have to deal with the consequences. People tend to overlook the fact that most relationships are unlikely to survive after infidelity. Trust becomes an issue after someone has been unfaithful. Yunior, the main character in this story, encounters conflict as he struggles to move on with his life after his fiancée discovers that he has been unfaithful. Over a six-year period, the author reveals how his unfaithfulness has an effect on his health and his relationships.
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.
quest to find if anyone knows what virtues are and who has the virtues. While
Ethical virtue is one of the types of virtue that Aristotle describes in his Book. An example, of an ethical virtue would be justice. The type of virtues that are mentioned to be ethical, could describe the characteristics that someone develops during his/her life. A person can gain ethic virtue by constantly repeating the action. The more the repetition, the quicker it becomes a habit (1103a19-23). It is produced more and more every time the action is being repeated. When Aristotle is talking about ethical virtue he most of
Hursthouse, R. (2003, July 18). Virtue Ethics. Stanford University. Retrieved March 6, 2014, from http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2013/entries/ethics-virtue
Aristotle is the one who laid down the foundation for virtue-based ethical viewpoint. His theory is called nicomachean ethics and states that virtues are characteristics that allow people to live
Someone you trusted, someone you put time and effort into. Did you know that 72% of married men cheat? Yes, 72%!!!! I’m not saying women do not cheat all people saying is the reason why most married couples or relationships ends is that on men. Approximately 9% of men and 14% of women said they had sex with someone else as just to get back at the partner. Being faithful is the number one key to a marriage or relationship. Being faithful in a relationship means staying committed through the good and bad times. No matter how hard it gets you got to remember why you got in the relationship/marriage in the first place. Being faithful also means putting an end to any flirting that becomes too intense. It means telling the girl or boy hitting on you at the bar that you’re in a relationship and mean it. Being faithful to make your relationship a whole lot better, although it is not the only thing that keeps a relationship going. There are plenty of ways to why you should be faithful. Being faithful boosts the quality of your sex life. When your spouse knows you are faithful, your spouse will give you great sex, no one feels safe sexing someone who has been with another female or male.Being faithful has a positive effect on your character. That way, you are able to live out your greatness with confidence. Integrity is important, and it starts with how you live your private life, it gives moral authority. Mess up your private life and everything else will fall apart and neither one of y’ all wants that. Being faithful makes your lover trust you, and with trust, he/she surrenders and gives all to you, you get to know your lover deeply. Without trust, you will never fully receive all the blessings your lover brings and that’s really true. It is very rare to find someone to be faithful. advise everyone who has a partner that's faithful, cherish them. It is not too many out
trusts and every word has a unique definition to every person. Sometimes, trust is just a
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
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.