1- virtue ethics full revision

opinion on lying against

not directly outlawed as one of the deontological rules that appear in Aristotle's work like theft -however virtue of sincerity suggests lying is wrong as its a dishonest action -PHILLIPA FOOT SUGGESTS ALWAYS WRONG TO LIE AS DOESNT CONTRIBUTE TO FLOURISHING SOCIETY. virtuous people are virtuous all time not just occasionally

Arete

excellence a knifes arete is sharpness

Heroic Society

(individuals seek fame through great deeds and advocate values such as honor, reputation and prowess) a society judged by their deeds, known on having good or bad character based on their actions = morally, ''you are what you do,''

Strengths of Virtue Ethics

1- instead of being set rules to follow, VE is part of daily life as Aquinas believes that any human action is a moral action that helps form a moral character 2-less harsh than natural moral law approach as doesnt have strict rules (3)-tells ppl they have the potential to be moral 4-altho secular, argued that it fits christian teaching, ppl should be more christ like and develop their behavior like Jesus ( moral teacher) 5-applies to atheists aswell cuz good for society as a whole unlike christian exclusive situation ethics (A)NON SUPEROGATORY (B)LESS HARSH MORE ENCOURAGING, (C)INCLUSIVE)

weakness summary

1- no spec moral dilemmas eg euthanasia and partly cuz its outdated so doesnt apply to like embryos -doesnt condemn anything specific like murder in a direct way 2-demands a lil much , unity of virtues seems impossible = not CLEAR how to realistically uphold virtues+ golden mean without conflict 3-outside looks virtuous internal MOTIVES MAY BE BAD P.foot there is not room for self-sacrifice , focuses on self development less on others

Virtue Ethics (Aristotle) more criticism kind of meh

1-When asked what we should do in any given situation, the virtue ethicist generally answers that we should do what a virtuous person would do. However, how do we identify this ideal virtuous person upon whom we should model ourselves? For example, the Christian Tradition wouldidentify the "ideal virtuous person" as Jesus. However, non-Christians might disagree. 2-vaguness what is the golden mean specifically 3-Virtue ethics also does little to help us determine how to behave in morally confusing situations, where virtues appear to conflict. For example, what would a virtuous woman, who is both honest and compassionate, do when faced with a murderer who is asking her where the friend she just invited into her house is hiding?

Weaknesses of Virtue Ethics

1-annas 1992 , virtue ethics is too 'nostalgic' and focuses too much on feelings of happiness and charity whilst ignoring hard ethical cases and moral dilemmas (VE DOESNT PROVIDE ANSWERS TO SPECIFIC MORAL DILEMMAS EG EUTHANASIA) 2-outdated, based on principles of ancient Greece. no comment offered to the personhood of the embryo = difficult to apply 3-doesnt condemn intolerable acts like murder in a direct way 4-there are times where the ''unity of virtues'' seems impossible, not clear how to realistically uphold all characteristics of the golden mean at the same time 5-external acts that appear virtuous may have unvirtuous inner motives , and vice vera . 6-P.foot there is not much room for self-sacrifice in the theory , of depriving oneself so that others can be happy.the focus is on personal development.

opinion on theft against

Aristotle defines theft as taking another property with the intention of injuring them = theft is always wrong - even tho theory isn't deontological , still possible that there are actions that are always un-virtuous like THEFT, ADULTERY AND MUDER -virtue of sincerity suggests that theft is wrong because its a dishonest action

human arete and Ergon

Aristotle divides us into anima (instincts) and human (reason) Aristotle applies these concepts to human beings. Our ergon, he says, is to use reason. Reason is what makes us unique from trees, plants, books, knives, animals - everything else in the world. our human side fully functioning soul uses anima and human side, fulfills our ergon to achieve eudaimonia

voluntary and involuntary action

Aristotle says we should only praise voluntary actions Voluntary: acting with full knowledge and intention involuntary : a- Compulsion: being forced to do something you don't want to do - e.g. sailors throwing goods overboard to save the boat during a storm b-Ignorance: doing something you don't want to do by accident - e.g. slipping on a banana skin and spilling a drink on someone can kind of be a mix tho FOR THIS REASON ARISTOTLE DOESNT JUDGE CHILDREN THERE ARE ALSO MIXED ACTS

basic principles role of a teacher

Aristotle tries to be realistic and doesn't suggest ppl can straight away take this better person mindset . he says find a 'moral teacher' = exhibits virtuous behavior and just copy/ learn from them. so VE can be seen to have room for teachings of world religions despite Aristotle being atheistic .

ergon and eudaimonia

Aristotle's answer is that we achieve eudaimonia by living a life guided by reason(which is the ergon of humans). More specifically, the right reason (orthos logos). The qualities above - wealth, honour, pleasure, etc. - are part of living a life guided by reason, but not the only part. Though our ergon is to reason, Aristotle is not saying we should spend our lives doing nothing but idly thinking and reasoning. His point is that our actions are always guided by some reason (good or bad) and that a good life is one where we act according to good reason. (GOOD REASON, ORTHOS LOGOS AND ACTION )

Virtue as a habit

Aristotle's ethics are more concerned with character - i.e. agent centred - than individual action (i.e. action centred). Also, Aristotle says, you also need to possess the right attitude whilst acting in these ways. Do virtuous acts Enjoy doing virtuous acts Develop a disposition/habit to act virtuously in future

Golden Mean (Aristotle)

Desirable middle between two extremes, between excess and inadequacy. 12 'moderate' characteristics that fall between excess and abstinence, Aristotle says everyone should strive for these virtues

Phronesis

Practical wisdom; street savvy. The stuff you learn in books is very general, whereas acting virtuously varies depending on the specific circumstances. For example, being funny can be virtuous when you are relaxing with friends, but is probably inappropriate at a funeral. Knowing and applying this requires phronesis.

Strengths of Virtue Ethics extra

Provides a motivation for ethics beyond just doing one's duty. Promotes a "spiritual/personal" dimension to ethics missing in other theories - character matters - persons have ultimate value not rules, actions or consequences Provides support and flexibility when encountering moral dilemmas

difference to utilitarianism

The first thing to say is that Aristotle is answering a slightly different question to Kant and utilitarianism. Instead of answering "what should I do?" (action-centred) he addresses a question more like "what sort of person should I be?" (agent-centred).

Eudaimonia

The purpose (telos) for which a human is created-to be happy and flourish

virtue ethics criticism of action based models

They say that action-based ethical models focus on formulating moral rules, but fail to motivateor inspire people to be moral. Rather than only emphasizing good rules, ethics should help us become good people. It's not enough to simply do the right thing begrudgingly or out of a sense of duty. Our actions need to come from a good heart that takes pleasure in being and doing good. Action-based ethics establishes minimal moral standards relating to behaviors, but does not address the lifelong responsibility we have to continually develop ourselves morally. People learn to be moral and are inspired to be moral by observing (or learning about) other people who model the virtuous life, not simply by learning rules.

Doctrine of the Mean

Virtue is achieved through moderation. Avoid behavior that is excessive or deficient of a virtue. for example Vice of deficiencyVirtueVice of excess Cowardice Courage Recklessness Shy Modest Shameless Stingy Liberal Wasteful Self-denial Temperance Self-indulgence Surly Friendly Obsequious

the good

We often carry out activities for the sake of some further goal. For example, you might get a job so you can get money. You might want money so you can buy a car. You might want a car so you can visit your friend, and so on. The good life, however, is not something we aspire to for the sake of some other goal. It's valuable for its own sake. Final end: something that is desired for its own sake

why is the theory hybrid ( even tho mr Flynns thing says it is the booklet says it isn't so u should ask him )

combo teleological and deontological aspects but still teleological cuz lacks like real rules telos= humans do have an ultimate purpose according to Aristotle , all humans aiming for something positive in their behaviors and a good consequence( this is a teleological viewpoint) he argued theres a perfect telos for humans to achieve = eudaimonia deontological rules= some rules Aristotle proposed, eg it is always wrong to steal, murder and commit adultery as these prevent society from flourishing

opinion on lying for

could be times when necessary to lie to save anothers life , could be argued intention of virtuous person outweighs nature of action - essentially no clear answer on lying all tho generally seen as wrong

Deontological

ethical theory based on duty and obligation

teleological

ethical theory concerned with outcome, whether an action produces greater good in the world

ergon

function a knives ergon is to cut

opinion on theft for

however, it can be argued that due to Aristotle's very narrow definition of theft, times when VE followers wouldn't see stealing as immoral: eg stealing food to save ones starving family. in this case intention of action is to save a family and allow them to flourish rather than having malicious intent towards the owner of the food= inciting a mixed response on theft from VE depending on context

superorogatory

overly imposing you can argue VE isn't cuz allows growing pains and leisure time to achieve true eudaimonia whilst bettering society

flourishing society

society where everyone is able to exercise ability to strive for eudaimonia

why is the theory realistic?

the role of leisure time: A.MACINTYRE '' VE allows ppl to spend time on themselves occasionally as it is likely to lead them to eudaimonia and helps society overall. cinema example= teleological and deontological theories would suggest a with money should donate it rather than going to the cinema, but in VE their are times in VE when its appropriate to look after oneself , so occasional leisure time is acceptable.''

Golden Mean

the virtue of moderation; the virtuous person develops habits that avoid extremes

basic principles, learning from mistakes

theory = realistic cuz allows growing pains of learning morality - when ppl make a mistake, its how they correct their behavior in future that makes them virtuous

intellectual virtues

to live a virtuous life and achieve eudaimonia , Aristotle argues that humanity need 5 intellectual virtues that in turn translate into ethical behavior (additional virtues Aristotle recommends to understand golden mean and behave virtuously) 1) prudence/practical wisdom - learn from ones mistakes 2)intuitive intelligence- developing the ability to recognize the difference between right and wrong 3) wisdom - having good life experience 4)scientific knowledge- ability to understand and test facts 5)art/craft= special skills and arts that we are trained in

Basic Principles intention

virtue ethics intends for one to learn how to be a better person . theory suggest good person does good deeds therefore a person needs to consider both their actions and intentions when trying to achieve this . in everything they do they should think ''how can I be a better person?''