Aristotle’s virtue ethics

What question does he address?

What sort of person should i be?

Explain eudaimonia

Means human flourishing. Aristotle is concerned with the good life for human beings. It’s a property of someone’s life taken as a whole, the final end for humans.

What is the difference ergon and arête?

ergon - the function or characteristic activity of a thing

Arête - a property or virtue that enables a thing to achieve its ergon.

The ergon for humans is to reason, making us unique from trees. Humans always chose their actions for some reason whether its good or bad.

What is a virtue?

a character trait that enables us to fulfill our function or ergon.

What is the doctrine of the mean also known as?

the golden mean, the average between two extremes

Explain virtues in situations

If you have a good tempered character doesnt mean you should always be good tempered in every situation. There is times when anger is the most appropriate as a response.

Describe the skill analogy

no one is born with the skill to play the piano, but we are born with the capacity to play the piano. You dont learn how to play the piano through theory but by practicing it. To intentionally do that action, to gain that skill. When making progress with the piano, you become able to play automatically without thinking.

What is a phronesis?

”practical wisdom”, a general understanding of good that enables someone to think through ad act according to what is good. Life isn’t suited for a set of rules instead you use the wisdom gained from experience.

what is the difference between voluntary and involuntary and non voluntary?

voluntary - acting with full knowledge and intention

Involuntary - being forced to do something you dont want to do

Non voluntary - doing something you dont want to do by accident

Explain the response: no clear guidance

The doctrine of the mean isn’t for practical use, and when do we know when to act angrily.

Circularity

a virtuous act is an act a virtuous person would do, and a virtuous person is a person who does virtuous acts.

competing virtues

we can imagine a scenario where different virtues like justice and mercy collide.

Difference between moral good and eudaimonia

eudaimonia includes elements beyond being simply being moral such as honour. But there is a distinction between a good life and a morally good life; e.g. a nurse who spends her entire life saving lives, she doesnt enjoy her work but she believes it is needed. We have a strong intuition that this nurses life is morally good. But she clearly didnt achieve eudaimonia.