You are what you do Virtue Ethics How
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You are what you do! Virtue Ethics How to be moral in a complex world Aristotle Mac. Intyre Anscombe
According to Aristotle, our superior aim in life is to reach a state of Eudaimonia Aristotle defined goodness in terms of reaching potential ( good knife, good volcano, good person) Therefore Eudaimonia is the Ultimate Good – it is us achieving our potential & flourishing as human beings But what is our potential? ? According to Aristotle, it was to be Virtuous.
Being Virtuous involves developing our character through practicing virtuous behaviour. Just as a great musician or footballer reaches his/her potential through practice, so we must practice virtuous behaviour in order to become virtuous people.
COURAGE WITTINESS FRIENDLINESS MODESTY SINCERITY GOOD TEMPER In fact, Aristotle believed that being a good friend was just about the best thing anyone could ever do because it exercised so many of the virtues! A virtuous person, automatically acts in the correct way.
For example… • Approaching a level crossing, a man notices a girl tied to the tracks. A train is fast approaching & it’s obvious the driver hasn’t seen the girl. • Aristotle would say the man should show courage – he wouldn’t tell him what to do. • We would need to decide for ourselves what we think the most courageous act would be.
The Modern (im)moral society: Celebrities Mega Rich Business Men Alasdair Mac. Intyre identifies various groups of people in society who need to demonstrate more of the virtues. What do you think are the vices demonstrated by these two groups and what virtues should they practice more?
Keenan, Mac. Intyre & Rachels’ virtues for the modern world: • • • Courage Honesty Loyalty Prudence Fidelity Mercy According to modern proponents of virtue theory, modern society is lacking these essential virtues. Instead of focussing on what action we should take, we should think about what kind of person we ought to become.
What is Aristotle doing? • Aristotle is tapping into what it means to be human • Being human is about more than just following rules • It is about developing, nurturing, growing and flourishing • It makes us take responsibility for our own nature – there is no threat of eternal punishment, rather we embody our character • We are what we do!
