Virtue Ethics – With

special reference to
Aristotle
By
Barbro Froding
Content Source

u Chapter 4 –Virtue Ethics –with Special Reference to Aristotle by BarbroFroding

u From the book Understanding Ethicsby Vibha Chaturvedi and Pragati Sahni
u Published by Motilal BanarsidassPublishing House
u Email : mlbd@mlbd.in Web: www.mlbd.in
Origins of Virtue Ethics

u Developed in ancient Greece by thinkers like

u Socrates,
u Plato
u Aristotle
Key question asked in Virtue Ethics

u what traits of character make one a good person?’,

Concerns of Virtue Ethics

u what kind of people we should be,

u what kind of characters we should have,
u and from that it follows how we should act.
Resurrection of virtue ethics

u It is often suggested that the virtue ethics project was resuscitated by

Elizabeth Anscombe in 1958 in her well-known article “Modern Moral
Philosophy”.
The central components of virtue ethics
in Aristotle’s Philosophy

The
Eudiamonia Function
Argument

The Doctrine of
the mean
Eudaimonia

u Moreover, the eudaimon life consists of all intrinsically worthwhile actions and
as such it is always the best life available to us.
The function argument

u Aristotle’s favored method for discovering what human fulfilment consists in is

called ‘The Function Argument’.
u This is a normative account stipulation that facts about human nature should
determine what is good for a human being.
The Doctrine of the Mean

u Aristotle writes that “Virtue, then, is a state that decides, consisting in a

mean, the mean relative to us, which is defined by reference to reason, that
is to say, to the reason by reference to which the prudent person would define
it”.
u Very generally speaking one could describe this as saying that excellence is an
intermediate in an ethical triad framework.
u Flanked by two vices, one dealing with excessive behavior and one with
deficient, the excellence in the middle issues in actions that neither go too
far nor fall short.
u This mean, however, is not an exact point on either scale – the courageous
person (for example) hits the mark that is appropriate under the
circumstances.
Types of virtues according to Aristotle

Virtues of
Intellectual
moral
virtues
character
Conditions for an act to be virtuous

(a) have practical knowledge, i.e. know what she is doing,

(b) chose the act and chose it for its own sake and
(c) the act must flow from a firm character.
The character virtues

u Courage (andreia),
u Temperance (sophrosune),
u Generosity (eleutheriotes),
u Magnificence (megaloprepeia),
u Greatness of soul (megalopsuchia),
u A nameless excellence which has to do with small honors
u Even temper (praotes)
u This is nameless but has to do with friendliness,
u This is also nameless has to do with truthfulness
u wit (eutrapelia)
Intellectual Virtues

u scientific knowledge (episteme)

u craft knowledge (techne)
u practical wisdom (phronesis)
u intellect (nous)
u wisdom (sophia)
Phronēsis

u “… a state grasping the truth, involving reason, concerned with action about
things that are good and bad for a human being.”
u Another key feature is that it correctly prescribes the right action.
u To have phronesis means to be good at thinking about how one should act in
order to live a worthwhile life.
Moral Failure

u Aristotle argued that agents are to be held responsible for the shape of their
moral characters to a much larger extent than either Socrates or Plato was
prepared to.
u Aristotle adopted this view because if we are not to be blamed for the vices
that come from bad upbringing then nor could we be praised for the virtues
that come from a good one.
Type of persons

u The incontinent person (note that this is not the plain wicked): On occasion
this agent has an idea what the right thing to do might be but as his or her
moral judgment is corrupt and controlled by desire he or she rarely chooses
it.
u The continent, or self-controlling, person: This person knows what he or she
should do but does not feel particularly inclined to do it.
Blameworthiness

u On Aristotle’s view actions can either be done voluntarily (hekon) or counter-

voluntarily (akon).
u Generally speaking, agents can only be held responsible for voluntary acts
and we can escape blame if we, for no fault of our own, were either ignorant
of relevant moral facts or if we act counter-voluntary.
u But, as always, there are exceptions. Aristotle recognizes that there are
situations where the agents can be free of blame even though their behavior
was not really forced.
Akrasia

u For Aristotle the basis of moral failure was two-fold; it could be the result of
ignorance (of the ‘in’ kind, not the ‘because’ one) or of akrasia.
u The akratic agent is the opposite of the good one, she is said to be weak
willed and incontinent.
Types of moral failure

u One can know and not use that knowledge.

u One can know and not consider.
u One can know and then choose to act differently.
Issues

u a) developing the virtues is a life-long project, and

u b) even Aristotle admitted that the virtuous life was an acquired taste.
Conclusion

u Over the last decades virtue ethics has been receiving increasing attention
and there has been renewed interest for ideas such as human excellence and
the virtuous life.