Virtue ethics of Aristotle and Confucius

good and virtuous person

According to virtue ethics, what’s most important to ethical life is the commitment to being a

character

Virtue ethics focuses on the importance of having a good _______, which is achieved to the degree to which someone is an an admirable type of person rather than to the degree to which a person does the right actions or follows the right principles or rules

virtuous

having good character means that you’re driven to behave in _________ ways in situations that call for virtuous response

defines

virtue ethics stresses that character, whether good or bad, ________ a person

goodness

virtues are habits to __________

stable habits, human excellence

The central part of becoming a virtuous person is to have ________ __that guide you toward__ __________

Reason

VIRTUE ETHICS ACCORDING TO ARISTOTLE:


1. One Must Exercise ________ in Determining Virtues

Phronesis

* The Art of Good Judgment
* is an on-the-spot ability to see what the good is in a particular situation and how to achieve it.

middle

Virtue Is Found In The _______________ Of Two Extremes

polar extremes, vices

One of the key points that both Confucius and Aristotle agree on is the fact that virtue is a way of being that lies in the middle of two more ________, both of which are considered ________.

courage

deals with standing firm in the face of danger, a disposition essential to living an excellent human life.

rash person

A ___________ (reckless) seems to lack wisdom, which makes her underdeveloped courage dangerous and even stupid in practice.

cowardice

vice that deals with too little of the mark,

attracted, repelled

Whereas the rash person is ____________ to danger, the coward is _________ by it

motivated, wisdom, irrespective

Courageous people are _____________ to do what’s right in a way that displays __________ about the situation, ______________ of danger.

repeatedly

Virtue Must Be Practiced _________

enough, everyday

One good deed isn’t _______: Making goodness an _____________ practice.

grounded, part

When a character trait is _____________ in a stable habit, it becomes _______ of who the person is.

stable habits, identical

Virtues rely on ______________, but they aren’t _____________ to them.

Eudaimonia Or Happiness

Virtue Is Needed In Achieving the Purpose Of Human Life

flourishing

Virtuous living leads to human _____________

human

Human excellence requires cultivating, developing, perfecting, and exercising the capacities or traits that are specific to what makes human life distinctively ______.

self-cultivation

Kung Fu tsu emphasized ______________ as a way of behaving or conducting oneself in the society

proper conduct

The Confucian concept of the human person is centered on the _____________ of the human is society

cultivation of human virtues

Central to the Confucian teaching is the __________________

sage

The __________ is a more than a learned man; he is well-rounded and not only literate but also useful to the state and society

self-cultivation

the process of shaping one’s character through a reflexive concern for the kind of person he/she is

learning, reflection

The process of self-cultivation has two important parts. One is _______, which means that a person has to draw moral lessons from his/her cultural heritage. The second is _______ which involves reflecting on what one has learned and adapting them to the present circumstances.

personal development, cultivation

According to Confucius, ___________ and __________ happen in the context of human relationships, particularly in the society

Junzi, gentleman

In every society there is need for a model human being, who will be the embodiment of Confucian virtues and will set the example for others to follow. Confucius refers to this person as _____, meaning _____________

small man, xiaoren

narrow-minded person, selfish, petty, or aggressive person who is often referred to as the ________ __or__ ______________

serve, please

The gentleman is easy to _______ but difficult to ___________

gentleman, small man

The ________________ is at ease without being arrogant, the ____________ is arrogant without being at ease.

saint, scholar, and gentleman

A description of the perfect man is one who combines the qualities of

Ren or Jen

* regarded as the general master virtue in that to have it means to already have all the other virtues
* translated as benevolence or humaneness
* means doing good that promote the well-being of other people

Li

* refers to propriety
* refers to doing things that are appropriate in a given situation
* closely connected to ren in that it serves as the external manifestation of the internal trait of ren

ren, li

_____ is the right attitude, while ____ is the right execution of ren

xiao

* understood as filial piety
* doing things that show love, respect, and devotion to the members of one’s family
* the duty of children to respect and take care of their parents

Wen

* understood as culture
* doing things that cultivate one’ sense and appreciation of culture, which includes acquiring skills in the are of music, painting, dance, and others, and are appreciation by watching concerts and plays, visiting art museums, and attending art exhibits

Yi

* translated as righteousness, conscience, or oughtness of a situation
* virtue of being able to distinguish between right and wrong

Hsin

* Means honesty and trustworthiness
* virtue of being truthful and sincere in one’s speech
* means fulfilling or keeping one’s promise and being true to his/her words
* not only limited to words or speech, but also applies to one’s duties and obligation to others and to the community

love for the virtue

Hsin is based not only in promoting harmonious relationships but also on one’s ___________

teachable, inspired commitment

most virtue ethicist think that virtues aren’t really ________ in the traditional way. Virtues incorporate a kind of _____________ to certain way of excellent living, and commitment isn’t really something a person can teach you in the way that a person can teach you how to do a math problem

Nichomachean Ethics

Aristotle’s main book about virtue

the Analects

Confucian text

Aristotle

_________________ had no belief that merely reading or listening to convincing arguments about ethics would make anyone a better person or motivate them to be such a person

Confucius

demanded a certain commitment and passion from a person before he took them on as students

family

Confucius thinks that virtuous living starts in the ___________, where respect and love for others is naturally nurtured and developed

exemplification or mirroring

A central component in embodying virtue is through

1. Be inspired to take on this goal
2. Identify the individuals who provide you inspiration and who can guide you along your journey
3. Copy you exemplar’s behavior

Steps in mirroring/becoming more virtuous