Virtue Ethics Basic Info

Virtue: 1) Purpose

P1: Teleological

P2: Achiving purpose good

P3: Subsidiary, greater, final ends

P4: Eudaimonia=human final end

C: Eudaimonia=human good

Virtue: 2) Function

P1: Function=good

P2: Function=characteristic form of activity

P3: Parts of body have a function

P4: Humans have a function

P5: Human characteristic form of activity=capacity to reason

C: Eudaimonia is achieved with a capacity to reason

Virtue: 3) Function well

P1: Function well with virtues/excellences

P2: Good human=reasons well

C: Eudaimonia: activity of soul in accordance with virtue

Virtue: 4) Virtues

P1: Act well=virtues of character+practical wisdom

P2: Virtue: mean of feeling and action relative to us and the situation

P3: Responsible for voluntary actions

C: Good act= voluntary, appropriate virtue

Virtue: Components of the soul

1) Non-rational
—> Character virtues (habituated)

—> Reason

2) Rational

—> Practical wisdom

—> Theoretical wisdom

Virtue: Eudaimonia

1) Objective

2) Stable

3) Final end

Virtue: How is eudaimonia different to pleasure?

1) Active vs Passive

2) Distinctive vs shared with animals

3) Not psychological vs Psychological

4) Set vs passing

BUT pleasure is part of eudaimonia (only real ones, not disgraceful ones)

Virtues: Virtue

1) Character dispositions

2) Stable but changeable

3) Applied with practical wisdom

4) Allows us to do characteristic activity well—> E

Virtue: Education and habituation (skill analogy)

1) Not virtuous by nature, capacity

2) Habituation—>disposition

3) Role models

4) Reason: reflection+situations

5) Lifetime

Virtue: Doctrine of the mean

—> Between excess and deficiency (find mean with reason)

—> Relative to us and situation

—> Not moderation (most appropriate—> shape good disposition)

(not all vices capable of being in mean: murder, adultery)

Virtue: Moral responsibility (Voluntary)

—> Full knowledge

—> Chosen freely (deliberation aware of relevant non-moral facts)

—> Responsible

Virtue: Moral responsibility (Involuntary)

—> Forced (not responsible)

—> Intentional but against free will (Aristotle goods and ship) (responsible but forgiven)

Virtue: Moral responsibility (Non-voluntary)

a) Result of ignorance

—> Regret (involuntary+non-voluntary)

—> No regret (non-voluntary only)

b) In ignorance

—>Ignorance self-created by intended act with knowledge of possible consequences (responsible)

Practical wisdom

—> Intellectual virtue of practical reasoning

—> Conception of good/bad as linked to eudaimonia

—> Understanding

—> Ability to deliberate well+act on deliberations

Virtue: Issue: Lack of clear guidance

C: Hursthouse v-rules

C: Anscombe moral laws do not make sense in the absence of a law-giver, work towards holism instead

C: Moral decision-making complex

Virtue: Issue: Clashing virtues

No way of determining between them, doctrine of the mean too vague (axe)

C: Misunderstands nature of virtues (change conntextually, practical wisdom)

CC; Still some situations (euthanasia)

CCC: Moral decision-making complex

Virtue: Issue: Circularity

Hard to: identify role model, habituate, judge your own character

C: Virtuous=eudaimonia and practical wisdom (CC: Mackie: A’s def of E relies on virtue)

C: Aristotle: common sense+Annas hypothetical idealised self (CC: list of virtues reflects time and culture) (CCC: Rachels: some virtues universal+contextual change)

Virtue: Issues: Virtue contributes to eudaimonia

P1 A virtue is a disposition to act towards the right person to the right extent at the

right time for the right reason in the right way.

P2 In certain unique circumstances, acts such stealing, lying, cheating, bribing may

fulfil P1.

P3 If these unique circumstances are repeated over a number of years (e.g. during

war), then a disposition may be developed for stealing etc and still be virtuous (P1).

P4 Such traits don’t contribute to eudaimonia.

C There are traits that are virtues but don’t contribute to eudaimonia.

Virtue: Issues: Individual vs moral good

P1 Virtue ethics claims that the virtues enable us to function well and so achieve eudaimonia.

P2 There is a difference between the individual good and the moral good.

P3 Seeking to fulfil one does not always mean fulfilling the other.

C1 The morally good life need not lead to eudaimonia and aiming for the individual good need to achieve the moral good.

E.g. Swanton medic working tirelessly

C: Annas: the two are intertwined