This document discusses virtue ethics, focusing on Aristotle's perspective. It explains that virtue ethics examines what kind of person one should be rather than what actions one should take. Virtues are acquired through habit and practice, not innate. One becomes virtuous by repeatedly performing good actions until they become habitual. A virtuous person naturally does the right thing through their developed character. The document also discusses Aristotle's idea of eudaimonia (happiness/flourishing), which involves living according to reason through practicing the virtues. It is achieved by finding the golden mean between extremes in one's emotions and actions.
This document discusses virtue ethics, focusing on Aristotle's perspective. It explains that virtue ethics examines what kind of person one should be rather than what actions one should take. Virtues are acquired through habit and practice, not innate. One becomes virtuous by repeatedly performing good actions until they become habitual. A virtuous person naturally does the right thing through their developed character. The document also discusses Aristotle's idea of eudaimonia (happiness/flourishing), which involves living according to reason through practicing the virtues. It is achieved by finding the golden mean between extremes in one's emotions and actions.
This document discusses virtue ethics, focusing on Aristotle's perspective. It explains that virtue ethics examines what kind of person one should be rather than what actions one should take. Virtues are acquired through habit and practice, not innate. One becomes virtuous by repeatedly performing good actions until they become habitual. A virtuous person naturally does the right thing through their developed character. The document also discusses Aristotle's idea of eudaimonia (happiness/flourishing), which involves living according to reason through practicing the virtues. It is achieved by finding the golden mean between extremes in one's emotions and actions.
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MODULE 4 LESSON
4 VIRTUE ETHICS LEARNING OUTCOMES
During the learning engagement, you should be able to
● pinpoint with examples particular Filipino virtues; ● substantiate/refute all concepts on virtue ethics; and ● agree/disagree on the Virtue Theory of Aristotle. Introduction ■ There’s a moral dictum which says, “Your ‘doing’ creates your ‘being’ and your ‘being’ directs your ‘doing.’” This simply means that what you constantly do in life will gradually become your character, your being. Another adage from an anonymous writer which says, “Sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a virtue; sow a virtue, reap a character, and sow a character, reap a destiny.” If one constantly tells a lie, he/she becomes a liar but if one constantly tells the truth, he/she becomes an honest person. Hence, one becomes a virtuous person -- but this requires constant and a life-long practice. In Christian morality, this is called “freedom for excellence” (Socias, 2007:45). ■ In the religious realm, there is a question: does the Blessed Virgin Mary, as a human person, exercise her freedom? Mary’s fiat (YES) is her expression of freedom. Her consistent yes to God’s will is an epitome of the freedom of the children of God. Mary has mastered herself and the exercise of her freedom. Like any other normal human beings, she has the choice but since she has self-mastery she habitually chooses to do the good and the will of God, that is, to love others and God. ■Virtue Ethics, is a particular moral framework which is sometimes called “‘character ethics’ for its primary and special emphasis on the acquisition and development of an excellent or virtuous character” (Fernandez 2018, 171). He continued: ■ Virtue ethics is practically concerned with the whole question of “what kind of person should I be?” rather than the common and dominant ethical pursuit as to the “right thing to do.” In fact, “[m]ost of the ancient thinkers approach ethics by asking What traits of character make someone a good person?” (Rachels & Rachels 2015, 159) rather that asking what particular principle can be applied in order to do what is right? ACTIVITY:
Direction: Conduct a big group discussion on the
following: Virtue Ethics as Character Ethics, Virtue as Habit, Virtue as Acquired and a Product of Effort, Virtue, Reason and the Pursuit of Happiness, Virtue and Golden Mean. Provide sample situations. PROCESSING Adapted from Fernandez 2018, 171-177) Virtue Ethics as an Ethics of Character ■ Virtue ethics is a specific ethical theory that is originally found in the philosophy of the ancient Greek thinker Aristotle (384-332B.C.E.), undoubtedly one of history’s greatest minds. Virtue is a Habit ■ Aristotle, virtue or excellence (from the Greek work arête) is essentially a kind of “disposition” to act well or excellently . “Virtues are special moral qualities . . . [and] trained behavioral dispositions that result in habitual acts of moral goodness” (Pojman & Fieser 2017, 135). ■“Virtue is a trait of character manifested in a habitual action” (Rachels & Rachels 2015, 161). ■ This means that a person or an individual becomes good or moral not by doing a singular act of goodness but by acting, or rather, by doing the good repeatedly or regularly, so it will become a habit. ■ A person can then be said to be good or moral if she is a person of character. A person of character embodies the positive qualities such as wisdom, courage, temperance, justice, magnanimity, among others. One’s personal character then is the result or by-product of acts or deeds of repeated goodness. One is a good person or a person of virtue not really because of what one does but of what one is. Being precedes doing. ■So when virtuous people are confronted with certain or specific moral situations, they will naturally do the right thing precisely because doing the right thing is part of who they are, of their character, of their inner core. One does the good precisely because one is good, not the other way around. ■ So when people are said to be morally good, this is so “because of their good character that enables them to spontaneously do the right thing. [Thus], there is a teleological (that is, “goal—oriented”) aspect in virtue ethics, but it differs from the kind usually found in utilitarianism, which asks what sort of action will maximize happiness or utility. Virtue Is Acquired and a Product of Effort
■How do people become good and
virtuous? Is it something that they are born with and thus innate? Or is it something that is acquired, learned, and developed? ■ For Aristotle, virtue is not something that a person is born with. Rather it is something that the individual has to earn through effort, dedication, and persistence. It is also something that is achieved through and with others. One cannot become virtuous apart from the community. ■Thus, individuals are not born good or evil. Becoming good or evil is a matter of learning and habit, through practice. Virtue then is a developmental concept and is intimately linked to our striving for excellence. Virtue, Reason and the Pursuit of Happiness
■ Another important and related teaching of Aristotle on
virtue is his philosophy regarding the pursuit of happiness or human flourishing/fulfillment. “How do we become happy people? Aristotle thinks we do so through having the right habits, which he describes as virtues. . . [which] are (as mentioned) ingrained dispositions that are conducive to living well” (Solomon & Higgins 2017, 271). ■ According to him, a happy life is a life of virtue. Such a life involves reason (rational contemplation). More specifically a life of reason is one that is devoted to rational activities such as thinking and reasoning. It is essentially the life of a philosopher, a life of a thinker. This kind of life gives man the deepest joy and happiness since this is the life that we humans can share with the gods. One that is dedicated to the contemplation of divine and eternal truths. ■ In understanding man’s pursuit for happiness, Aristotle says “. . .that every act that person does is directed towards a particular purpose, aim, or what the Greeks called telos. There is a purpose why one does something. . . . a person’s action manifests a good that she aspires for. For every pursuit of a person hopes to achieve a good . . . . The good is considered to be the telos or purpose for which all seek to achieve” (as cited in Bulaong et al. 2018, 83). ■ Now, what is the good and how does this relate to the pursuit of happiness for man? ■ In this highly influential book Nichomachean Ethics (a book said to be named after his son Nichomachus), Aristotle discerns basically the nature of human happiness (eudaemonia) as the ultimate and final goal of all human striving, by reference to our special and unique function as human beings. For him, something is good if it functions according to its nature. If it serves the very purpose of its being. ■ So what is the essence of a human being? What makes him truly as one? What is his truest nature? ■ The answer to all these, following Aristotle’s thinking, is that we humans are unique in our capacity to exercise rationality in our conduct and decisions. The excellent use of reason is what Aristotle considers as a “virtuous activity.” Virtue is “...an activity of the soul or a course of action in accordance with reason” (Camp et al. 2015, 22). And philosophic contemplation, as previously mentioned, represents the very summit of all human pursuits and activities. Since reason is distinct and unique in man, it is only logical that it should be the one to direct and govern all his activities and pursuits, without of course neglecting other capacities in various spheres of his existence. ■ Thus, to be happy, which is the ultimate and highest human good or eudaemonia (total well-being or happiness), is to live a life of virtue. And to live virtuously, is to live a life of reason, which is in accordance with our truest nature. “Thus, a happy individual is one who lives in accordance with our truest nature. “Thus, a happy individual is one who lives in accordance with reason, and each individual should develop [the] virtues (character traits and disposition) that lead to this goal [of achieving the highest good]” (Camp et al. 2015, 22). Virtue and the Golden Mean ■ Aristotle’s “provides a unifying framework for understanding virtue in general as a mean between two extremes” (Mackinnon & Fiala 2015, 151) is his teachings on living a good and reason life through moderation, as expressed in a doctrine known as the Golden Mean. The Golden Mean should not be confused with the Golden Rule of Buddha and of the Bible for they are different. ■ This particular doctrine teaches that we have to live and practice a life that avoids both extremes: excess and deficiency. It teaches us to avoid falling into the pit of overindulgence. For anything that is done excessively and inadequately leads to doom. Living out of bounds, too much and too little, is to sin against reason. And to sin against reason is the surest road to perdition. ■To be a virtuous and well- integrated person, one ought to constantly practice consciously the art and skill of doing and having “just enough,” deliberately avoiding any form of extremes in one’s action, feeling, and conduct. ■ In ancient Greek thought, following in the tradition of Plato, there were four basic or cardinal virtues (Mackinnon & Fiala 2015, 152) These are prudence (or wisdom), justice, temperance, and courage. The virtue of courage, for instance, can be understood as a mean or the middle ground between the two extremes of deficiency and excess. If one has “too little” courage (kulang ng tapang), which is a vice . But too much of it, that is, being “too courageous” (nasobrahan ng tapang), is foolhardiness. ■ Thus, “[w]hen facing danger or challenges [as in a battle] we should have neither too much fear (sobrang takot)—which makes us unable to act— nor too little fear (Halos walang takot)—which makes us take reckless or foolish risks (kagaguhan). The virtue of courage [therefore] is having just the right amount of fear (Takot na katamtaman lamang), depending on what is appropriate for us as individuals and for the circumstances we face” (Mackinnon & Fiala 2015, 152) ■ Having the virtue of courage then is to act rightly and reasonably at the right time, in the right place, at the right person with the right reason, and at the right situation. ■ Browse these web links for a deeper knowledge on Virtue Ethics. ●https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkJnQkzIpjw ●https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPV2KsWMRfc Synthesis ■ Moral virtue, according to Aristotle, is a “state of character” which habitually acts according to the middle measure that practical wisdom identifies as the moral choice that should be acted upon, given the concrete situation that presents to the person. The goal of virtue ethics is to promote the maturity of the character of the person. Building a good character is a task and responsibility of every person. REFLECTION (Adapted from Fernandez 2018, 187) ■ Apply the insights you have learned from Virtue Ethics to your own personal context, with emphasis on the specific qualities you ought to develop in order for you to become a person of virtuous character. Answer the following: 1. What have I LEARNED in this module? 2. What have I DONE? 3. How can I IMPROVE?