Video 21: Is Ethics Based on Virtue?
Virtue Ethics: morality must be based on considering life and
human possibilities as a whole
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Ancient Greeks: happiness/human flourishing (excellence) is acquired in
acting justly (i.e., living a balanced life guided by reason)
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Acting well aims for the mean, the point of moderation
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Virtue ethics does not identify the "right" thing to do but identifies
certain characteristics of practical wisdom: learn skills, understand them
as a whole (why we act in certain ways)
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One becomes happy by developing a virtuous character over a lifetime: this
is a narrative way to describe ethical decision-making, not focusing on
isolated or abstract actions
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Reason and emotion (including caring for others and our relationships)
are both necessary for a full life
Objections:
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virtue ethics fails to give guidance about how to act
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virtues vary from group to group and from situation to situation
Perhaps the solution to ethical theorizing lies in combining features from
all of the different major theories of ethics