Virtue And Virtue Ethics

Virtue is the moral excellence that an engineer has to abide by in order to achieve a sense of achievement and virtuous gratification towards his actions. Specifically, virtue ethics emphasizes the individual’s character of the action. Virtue relates to engineering by allowing engineers to practice their intellectual virtues which stems from learning and their ethical virtues which stems from habit. Virtue ethics emphasizes that it is who you are that counts and one should value character, a person’s moral habits. Aristotle believed that one can achieve a virtuous state when his/her potential is actualized. He believed that “the essential nature of things lay not at their cause (or beginning) but at their end (telos)”. This means that one

Virtue or excellence is a “mean between two extremes of defect and excess”. Virtue is the “just right” mean between the two extremes and these means are: courage, temperance, prudence, and justice.

Aristotle also specified two distinct area of virtue; virtues of character and virtues of thought. Virtues of character are means “between two extremes of defect and excess”, also known as the cardinal virtues. An example of this character is courage, it is the mean between cowardice and brashness. Virtues of thought specializes on one’s wisdom and intelligence. An example of this virtue is techne, or skill, it is one’s ability to write poetry and essays in a skillful manner.

I have acquired some virtues throughout my time spent here at Texas A&M University. Throughout my time spent at this university, I have attained two of the main virtues of character. I have developed the virtue of temperance by not being self-indulgent nor insensitive. Throughout my life, I have realized the importance of maintaining a perfect mean for pleasure. One should not self-indulge on things such as video games, food, and sleep. I have found that one should maintain a good steady diet and a good sleep schedule in order to achieve this virtue. Furthermore, I have realized that one should be just and giving to the people that surrounds them. Justice is the idea of giving and one should give to those who are in need. In my time here at A&M, I have volunteered and given my time for those who are in need and I gave them my straight to help improve their current