Virtue Ethics (Aristotle)

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Virtue Ethics(Aristotle)

• Guiding Principle 3

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Virtue Ethics

• A virtue is an admirable quality seen to produce
  success or benefit in a given community.
• So, in virtue ethics virtues are admirable
  qualities that lead to moral excellence!
• Modern day Virtue Ethics proponents include
  Elizabeth Anscombe and Alasdair MacIntyre
• A philosophy first developed by ancient Greek
  philosopher Aristotle (384-322BCE), who asked
• What does it mean to live a good life?

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Aristotle

• Believed that we can make a conscious effort to
  be good
• We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then
  is not an act, but a habit. (Nicomachean Ethics)
• In Aristotles society there were very specific
  virtues that you needed to be good strength,
  courage, comradeship (friendliness), justice,
  temperance (control) and wisdom.

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• Virtue ethics suggests that people cannot live
  alone as individuals in a society.
• For society to work, we need to cooperate and
  live together.
• If there are virtues that everyone aspires to and
  practices, then society will be better for
  everyone.
• Aristotle believed that you could be a good man
  by practicing these virtues until they became
  ingrained in you, until you acted like that
  without needing to think about it
• You could become temperate by ensuring you
  controlled your emotions and actions and did not
  go to extremes in anything.
• You became brave by doing actions that would be
  considered brave

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Aristotle The Good Life

• Aristotles aim was for everyone to lead what he
  called the good life and achieve happiness
  (eudaimonia).
• People are not just naturally happy you must
  work for it.
• This good life could only be achieved by
  following the virtues.
• If you follow the virtues then you are living
  according to the Golden Mean (a balance between
  extremes of behaviour)
• Today, different societies might have different
  virtues that would lead to happiness (or more
  modern ways of expressing the same things
  Aristotle did!)

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Judging People

• People are considered to be good by demonstrating
  that they are living according to virtues.
• This means that you are judged on your actions
  and their outcomes. You intentions do not count
  so much.
• For example, if you practice doing kind things
  and making others happy, then this will become a
  habit and you will begin to think in a kind way.
• If you do not genuinely want to be a kind person,
  then you will fail and people will see by your
  actions that you are not a good person.

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Becoming Good

• It is not enough to simply try and do good
  stuff
• If you do not understand why something is a
  virtue, you will not be able to practice it
  properly.
• Due to this reason was also important to
  Aristotle you need to think through each
  situation, and understand how you should act in
  it (according to virtues)
• It is not easy to follow virtues it requires
  understanding and effort.
• If people genuinely want to be good they can
  achieve it, through dedication and effort.
• This separates a virtuous man from a non-virtuous
  man.