virtue ethics -anthology

what are the two types of virtues and what is the difference in how we come to acquire them

• intellectual and moral

• intellectual = teaching

• moral = habit

how does aristotle compare the virtues to the arts

• by practising you get better

• become more just by doing just actions

how does aristotole explain the mean

• someone who runs away from fears = coward, someone who fears nothing and meets danger = rash

• the mean preserves courage and virtues

• practising the mean destroys vice

what is aristotle’s view of pleasure and pain

• do bad things for pleasure, but abstain from good things because of pain

• must learn the balance

what part does reason play in pleasure of pains

• reason is the guiding force

• must find the medium

what does he mean by ‘it is by doing just acts that the man is produced’

• by cultivating virtues they are stronger

• more about the person doing the act that makes the act

what three elements of the soul are there

• passions

• capacities

• states of character

what does he mean by virtues and vices are not passions, what is important in how we deal with virtues and vices

• are not good or bad based on passion

• it is how you feel the vices that matter

• enable wisdom and rationality

what does aristotle mean by virtues are modes of choice

• choose to act virtuous

• conscious choice - make them habits

what does it mean to say that virtues are states of character

• how someone deals with emotions is their character

what does he mean by saying the virtue of man also will be the state of character which makes a man good

• a virtuous person fufils their function (ie. practising virtues)

• to reach eudaemonia

what does he mean by ‘virtue then is a state of character concerned with choice, lying in a mean’

• must choose wisdom and experience

• reflect on mean

• use practical wisdom

explain what is meant by ‘that is such beacuase character is to aim at what intermediate in passions and in actions, has been sufficiently states’

• te excess or deficiency may be more opposed to the vitue

• rashness is better than cowardice

• isn’t easy to follow the mean