Virtue Ethics

Question 1

Not what people should __ but what people __

Answer 1

Not what people should do, but what people should be

Question 2

Revived by

Answer 2

McIntyre and Ansomb

Question 3

Keenan

Answer 3

• we have certain characteristics, which aren’t always good
• For each trait we have, there are things to do in order to stretching these traits

Question 4

Virtue ethics at its core

Answer 4

we have emotions that need to be balanced by reason

Question 5

Rejcects

Answer 5

• rules
• concecquences
• specific actions

Question 6

Greek would for virtue

Answer 6

arete

Question 7

_____ centered

Answer 7

Agent

Question 8

Agent centered

Answer 8

• Ones personal ability to act and make decisions
• Highly concerned with growth of character

Question 9

what does developing virtues allow

Answer 9

personal growth and to live in society

Question 10

Cardinal virtures- classical and medieval

Answer 10

1. Justice
2. Prudence
3. Temperance
4. Fortitude

Question 11

Two types of virtues

Answer 11

• intellectual
• moral

Question 12

Intellectual Virtues

Answer 12

• anything that is learned
• you can have great intellectual virtue, but not nec moral virtue
• knowledge and maths etc
• non innate and not theoretical

Question 13

Moral Virtues

Answer 13

• virtue concerned with the practical life
• how we act
• eg bravery
• not innate, but not theoretical

Question 14

The Mean

Answer 14

• a balance between extreme virtues
• Reason gives balance and the mean to human virtues → Aristotle viewed the best society as one ruled by reason

Question 15

What comes from a balanced human soul

Answer 15

Eudaimonia

Question 16

Eudaimonia

Answer 16

Human flourishing

Question 17

Akrasia

Answer 17

weakness of will

Question 18

Aristotle’s Role Models

Answer 18

• hollistically good people that one can base their virtues off
• eg Achilles

Question 19

McIntyre and RMs

Answer 19

• we need modern RMs
• applied them to the modern day
• EG Greta Thunberg

Question 20

What did Ansecomb do

Answer 20

Revived virtue thics

Question 21

Tripartite soul

Answer 21

• Emotions
• Appetite/desire (animalistic)
• Wisdom

Question 22

Strengths of the theory

Answer 22

• not legalistic
• personal
• captures the reality of ones entire life
• focuses on emotions

Question 23

Taylor

Answer 23

• “An ethics of aspiration rather than an ethic of duty”
• VE is focused on personal growth
• Unlike deontological ethics, it focuses of the emotions

Question 24

Nussbaum

Answer 24

“Life is not complete if emotions are not cultivated”

Question 25

Freud

Answer 25

emotions are vital for human development

Question 26

Strength of the theory: personal autonomy

Answer 26

- Allows people to use reason to make decisions, - Humane Vitae → religious acceptance of contraception, even through it goes against bible it makes sense → stops STD etc

Question 27

Hick

Answer 27

- “Virtues are better hard won than ready made” - VE can bring people to be more virtues - **Foot**: can help deviant behaviour

Question 28

Strength of the theory: modern day

Answer 28

- Countering Capitalist Individualism - We are lost in modern society, as exemplified in the Modernist writers - Western meritocracies have left behind the sense of the person and community, and VE can aid people to come back to that without religion as we are more secular

Question 29

Key Weakness of the theory

Answer 29

ISSUES IN PPLICATION - lacks any explicit rules - Louden: VE cannot help us to solve ethical dilemmas → nothing to directly work with -Therefore we can get conflicting answers → differrent virtues can provide differrent answers - Hursrhoust in resposne: Life is not neat and there are bounds to be unresolvable issues → impossible for a theory to give all the answers for all the problems

Question 30

Modern scholar- KEY

Answer 30

Foot

Question 31

Foot distringuishes between types of good

Answer 31

INTRINSIC AND EXTRINSICS GOODS - a wise person can see the differnece between I and E acts - uses the exmaple of befreinding their beighbour - VE helps people to become wiser

Question 32

Foot distringuishes between vitues and skills

Answer 32

Differentiate between virtues and skills with example of the good speller - Good speller makes an on purpose spelling mistake to make a point, this does not effect their reputation as a speller as spelling is a skill - Renewed judge makes an on purpose mistake and falsely imprinsons someone, this damaged their reputation as a judge - This highlights the differences between skill and virtue, once you have gained a skill it cannot be taken away but virtues must constantly be practiced