VII - VIRTUE ETHICS

These flashcards cover key concepts and definitions from the Virtue and Rights lecture, focusing on Aristotle's Virtue Ethics, cardinal virtues, the role of rights, and criticisms of these philosophical concepts.

What is Virtue Ethics concerned with?

Good action for the purpose of achieving a state of well-being.

What are the four cardinal virtues according to Aristotle?

Prudence, Temperance, Courage, Justice.

What does Prudence refer to in ethical virtue?

Acting based on knowledge of right and wrong.

What is Temperance in the context of ethical virtues?

Self-restraint in relation to pleasure and pain.

How does Aristotle define the function of human beings?

An activity of the soul.

What is Eudaimonia?

Happiness; the good at which human existence is aimed.

What are the two kinds of virtue identified by Aristotle?

Intellectual virtues and moral virtues.

What role does practical wisdom play in Aristotle's Virtue Ethics?

It helps us determine which course of action is best supported by reasons.

What is the ultimate purpose of rights?

To secure persons a certain fundamental moral status.

What is the principle of general consistency regarding rights?

Agents must act in accord with the generic rights of others as well as themselves.

What do human rights guarantee?

The conditions that make actions and successful action equally possible for every agent.

What criticisms are levied against the concept of rights?

Rights cannot simply derive from agency-needs and must be based on a socially established set of rules.

What does Marie Dembour's theory classify rights as?

Natural, Deliberative, Protested, Discourse.

What is a necessary condition for being a good human being according to the lecture?

The four cardinal virtues must be present.

What is meant by the term 'good' as it relates to human beings?

It describes persons and behaviors based on their relation to a functional aim or purpose.

How does Aristotle's ethics resolve the vague notion of the purpose of human life?

By defining it through the function and activity of the soul.