Application: Virtue Ethics

Theft

- Aristotle completely disagrees with stealing
- justice, its not just to steal, especially to victim
- honesty and truthfulness, stealing is deceptive
- compassion, stealing to save another is virtuous but not all cases are to help others
- courage, its cowardice, not asking for help which is more courageous

Lying

- virtue of honesty and truthfulness
- courage, when telling the truth you are showing courage. Equally, courage and justice are displayed when admitting faults
- honesty is an aspect of what it means to be virtuous however sometimes its more compassionate to lie eg/ to schizophrenic patients

Abortion

- could be viewed as murder which for Aristotle can never be justified
- virtue of compassion, allow the abortion as it could save a mothers life or a life of pain due to disability BUT some may argue the compassionate thing to do is allow foetus to be born
- superior aim of eudaimonia, if a foetus is aborted, they could never each eudaimonia but may allow mother to reach eudaimonia
- its too subjective as peoples ideas of virtuous behaviour may differ or be mis-interpreted

Captial Punishment

- during Aristotle's time, capital punishment was the norm
- virtue of justice, a combination of all virtues, would permit it but is it just tho punish a murderer via murder
- virtue of compassion, who are we compassionate to? Victim or offender?
- eudaimonia, murder victim can't reach it so should the criminal be able to reach it? Killing removes the ability to reach eudaimonia
- some may copy false virtues and make mistakes but this is how we reach eudaimonia

Embryo Research

- Aristotle provides no clear guidance as it didn't exist in his time
- compassion, focuses on lives ruined by illness, infertility and genetic disorders
- callousness, would be callous to deny people of solutions to issues such as infertility
- recklessness, who will draw the line if it goes too far

Cloning

- eudaimonia, therapeutic cloning could result in cures which would allow people to reach eudaimonia
- compassion, compassionate to find cures
- callousness, some believe its callous to destroy a potential life
- recklessness, could lead to mistakes and suffering

Designer Babies

- eudaimonia, babies without genetic disorders more likely to reach eudaimonia BUT if a master race is made others could suffer and not reach the ultimate end goal
- compassion, focuses on lives ruined by genetic diseases/disorders
- recklessness, may exercise reckless behaviours creating master races

Eating Animals and Intensive Farming

- Aristotle believed there is no issue with eating meat as humans are at the top of the hierarchy of souls
- Aristotle believed animals can't reach eudaimonia
- compassion, this virtue doesn't condone intensive farming eg/ bludgeoning and de-beaking
- callousness, cruel to intensive farm through this vice
- temperance, by intensive farming we get meat in abundance so is not showing restraint

Use of Animals in Scientific Procedures

- Aristotle used animals in his own research
- humans are at the top of hierarchy of souls, not animals
- virtue if compassion, if its for humans and cures for HIV etc, then it may be viewed as compassionate BUT for animals its not
- recklessness, we may go too far with research, playing with life

Blood Sports

- In Ancient Greece, it was a past time so not an issue for Aristotle
- humans at top of hierarchy of souls
- animals can't reach eudaimonia BUT viewing the blood sports don't contribute to humans reaching eudaimonia
- courage, in some cultures those taking part like the Matador's may be viewed as courageous BUT its not courageous to weaken the bull before the fight and then kill it. This is callous
- it's NOT COMPASSIONATE to kill for entertainment

Animals as a Source of Organs for Transplants

- Animals can't reach eudaimonia but by providing organs they could hep humans reach eudaimonia
- through studying them, we gain knowledge which helps contribute towards developing intellectual virtues
- compassion, to the humans receiving the organs but not for the animals
- callousness, seeing animals as expendable is distressing to people in society who don't like animals being used like this