Virtue ethics, a venerable tradition in moral philosophy, shifts the focus from the inherent rightness or wrongness of actions,
which we learned from Kant and deontology, or the consequences of actions, which we named consequentialism and utilitarianism, to the character of the moral agent.
It asks not "What should I do?" but "What kind of person should I be?" This distinctive emphasis on character, virtues, and moral excellence
distinguishes it as a powerful and enduring framework for understanding human flourishing and ethical conduct.
The roots of virtue ethics stretch back to ancient Greece, making it arguably the oldest ethical tradition in Western philosophy.
Its most articulate and influential proponents were Plato and, more profoundly, Aristotle. I'll not go into detail here, because we already spent a lot of time on these philosophers,
but central to Aristotle's moral philosophy (384 – 322 BCE) is the concept of the Golden Mean.
He posits that moral virtue lies in a mean between two extremes: excess and deficiency.
For example, courage is the mean between recklessness and cowardice. Generosity is the mean between prodigality and stinginess.
Finding this mean is not a mathematical exercise but requires practical wisdom, a virtue itself that allows one to discern the appropriate action in specific circumstances.
Aristotle emphasizes that virtues are developed through consistent practice. One becomes courageous by performing courageous acts, just by performing just acts.
This process of habituation shapes one's character, making virtuous actions pleasurable and natural. He also highlights the importance of role models and community in shaping character.
The virtuous person, for Aristotle, is one who consistently acts virtuously, not out of compulsion, but because it is an expression of their settled character.
Those Greeks were really amazing. They shaped Western civilization. Just imagine, one man, Aristotle, did it all.
While virtue ethics receded somewhat during the Enlightenment's focus on duty and rights, deontology, and utility, consequentialism, it experienced a significant revival in the mid-20th century.
I am actually proud, related to this development, that I can give you two names, Elizabeth Anscombe (1919 – 2001) and Philippa Foot (1920 – 2001), and two links:
https://thephilosophyclass.blogspot.com/2009/05/21a-elizabeth-anscombe-1919-2001.html and https://thephilosophyclass.blogspot.com/2009/05/24-philippa-foot-1920.html
These are my lectures from 2009, that is from 16 years ago, when we paid extra attention in a special project to female philosophers and virtue ethics was their focus.
Thank you for your attention again.... the floor is yours...
Main Sources:
MacMillan The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2nd edition
TABLE OF CONTENT -----------------------------------------------------------------
1 - 100 Philosophers 9 May 2009 Start of
2 - 25+ Women Philosophers 10 May 2009 this blog
3 - 25 Adventures in Thinking 10 May 2009
4 - Modern Theories of Ethics 29 Oct 2009
5 - The Ideal State 24 Febr 2010 / 234
6 - The Mystery of the Brain 3 Sept 2010 / 266
7 - The Utopia of the Free Market 16 Febr 2012 / 383
8. - The Aftermath of Neo-liberalism 5 Sept 2012 / 413
9. - The Art Not to Be an Egoist 6 Nov 2012 / 426
10 - Non-Western Philosophy 29 May 2013 / 477
11 - Why Science is Right 2 Sept 2014 / 534
12 - A Philosopher looks at Atheism 1 Jan 2015 / 557
13 - EVIL, a philosophical investigation 17 Apr 2015 / 580
14 - Existentialism and Free Will 2 Sept 2015 / 586
15 - Spinoza 2 Sept 2016 / 615
16 - The Meaning of Life 13 Febr 2017 / 637
17 - In Search of my Self 6 Sept 2017 / 670
18 - The 20th Century Revisited 3 Apr 2018 / 706
19 - The Pessimist 11 Jan 2020 / 819
20 - The Optimist 9 Febr 2020 / 824
21 - Awakening from a Neoliberal Dream 8 Oct 2020 / 872
22 - A World Full of Patterns 1 Apr 2021 / 912
23 - The Concept of Freedom 8 Jan 2022 / 965
24 - Materialism 7 Sept 2022 / 1011
25 - Historical Materialism 5 Oct 2023 / 1088
26 - The Bonobo and the Atheist 9 Jan 2024 / 1102
27 - Artificial Intelligence 9 Feb 2024 / 1108
28 - Why Am I Here 6 Sept 2024 / 1139
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