Virtue Ethics Summary

Aristotle: Virtue Ethics

Aristotle's Life and Philosophy

  • Born in Stagira, Macedonia (384-322 B.C.).
  • Father, Nicomachus, was physician to King Amnytas II.
  • Tutored Alexander the Great.
  • Studied under Plato.
  • Sought to ground Plato's abstract ideas in the physical world.
  • Virtue (arête) leads to flourishing (eudaimonia) and happiness through character cultivation.

Ethics as Living Well: Eudaimonia

  • Every human activity aims at achieving a certain end or good.
  • Eudaimonia is the ultimate goal: happiness, self-sufficient, final, and attainable.
  • Happiness is chosen for its own sake, not for something else.
  • Eudaimonia is an active pursuit, not a passive state.
  • It involves activity of the soul in accordance with virtue.
  • External factors like upbringing and education can help, but happiness is actively pursued.
  • Happiness is not self-indulgence but aligns with human nature focused on virtue.

The Soul

  • Happiness is an activity of the soul.
  • Soul animates the body; they are inseparable, but the soul is more important.
  • Two main parts of the soul:
    • Rational Part:
      • Speculative: knowledge and pure thought.
      • Practical: action, choice, and decision-making.
    • Irrational Part:
      • Vegetative: involuntary bodily functions.
      • Appetitive: desires; influenced by the rational part.

Virtue, the Mean, and Practical Wisdom

  • Virtue (arête) means excellence; fulfilling a function in accordance with nature.
  • Types of Virtue:
    • Moral Virtues: excellence in actions/emotions, developed through habit.
    • Intellectual Virtues: excellence in reasoning, developed through teaching.
  • Virtue is gained through practice and habituation.
  • The Mean (Mesotes): balance between excess and deficiency, relative to the individual and situation.
  • Practical Wisdom (Phronêsis): helps choose the mean; understand situations and make right decision.
  • Virtue is developed through consistent action.
  • Some actions (adultery, theft, murder) are always wrong.

Intellectual Virtues and Contemplation

  • Practical Wisdom (Phronêsis): guiding everyday actions.
  • Philosophical Wisdom (Sophia): pursuing knowledge about first principles and eternal truths.
  • Contemplation is more important because it involves reason.
  • Contemplation is self-sufficient and the most enjoyable virtuous activity.
  • A well-lived life combines philosophical wisdom and practical wisdom.

Conclusion

  • Ethics is about living well through habitual practice of virtue.
  • Happiness (Eudaimonia) is achieved by exercising reason.
  • The Mean (Mesotes) leads to flourishing.
  • A virtuous person adapts without compromising principles.
  • Character key results from practical wisdom and habit.
  • Being ethical means fulfilling essence as a rational being.