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Pojman ethics 8e_ppt_ch09
- 2. Chapter Nine: Virtue Theory
John and Joan send money to help people starving in
Ethiopia, but John does it out of sympathy and Joan out
of duty.
Jack and Jill could embezzle money, but Jill never
considers it while Jack wrestles with temptation and
succeeds in resisting it.
Who is more moral?
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 3. Virtue Theory (1 of 3)
John and Jill have virtues: trained behavioral
dispositions that result in habitual acts of moral
goodness.
The opposite is vices: trained behavioral dispositions
that result in habitual acts of moral wrongness.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 4. Virtue Theory (2 of 3)
Virtue theory, or virtue ethics is based on the notion
that morality involves producing excellent persons who
act out of spontaneous goodness and not duty.
This approach is teleological, but in a different way
from utilitarian ethics.
The telos is to live well and achieve excellence.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 5. Virtue Theory (3 of 3)
Cardinal virtues—Plato’s central virtues of wisdom,
temperance, courage, and justice
Theological virtues—Christianity’s faith, hope, and
charity
Hinduism advocates the virtues of nonviolence, truth,
purity, and self-control.
Confucius said perfect virtue consists of courtesy,
generosity, honesty, persistence, and kindness.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 6. The Nature of Virtue Ethics
Virtue ethics claims that it is important not only to do
the right thing, but also to have the correct
dispositions, motivations, and emotions in being good
and doing right.
Virtue ethics is not only about action, but also about
emotions, character, and moral habit.
Virtues traditionally divide into two types
Moral virtues.
Nonmoral virtues.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 7. Moral Virtues
Honesty
Benevolence
Nonmalevolence
Fairness
Kindness
Conscientiousness
Gratitude
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 8. Nonmoral Virtues
Courage
Optimism
Rationality
Self-control
Patience
Endurance
Industry
Musical talent
Cleanliness
Wit
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 9. The Ideal Type: Aristotle’s
Nicomachean Ethics (1 of 3)
Aristotle’s approach to ethics places it in a political
context:
To achieve a state of well-being (eudaimonia), proper
social institutions are necessary.
The moral person cannot exist apart from a political
setting that enables him or her to develop the requisite
virtues for the good life.
Therefore, ethics is considered a branch of politics.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 10. The Ideal Type: Aristotle’s
Nicomachean Ethics (2 of 3)
Aristotle’s ethics start with his teleological view of
human nature.
Humanity has an essence, or function.
The function of humans is to use reason in pursuit of the
good life.
By living well, we acquire the right habits, or virtues,
which are the best guarantee to the happy life.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 11. The Ideal Type: Aristotle’s
Nicomachean Ethics (3 of 3)
Virtues exist as the Golden Mean between excess and
deficiency (for example, courage is the mean between
cowardice and fool-hardiness).
People have unequal abilities to be virtuous.
External factors can prevent people from reaching the
goal of happiness.
In addition to being virtuous, one must be healthy,
wealthy, wise, and have good fortune to be happy.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 12. The Ideal Individual (1 of 2)
The lives of Socrates, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and
Father Maximilian Kolbe exhibit ideal attitudes and
dispositions of virtue ethics.
Albert Schweitzer developed the concept of reverence
for life.
Jesus has helped form the moral conscience of
individuals.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 13. The Ideal Individual (2 of 2)
Susan Wolf argues that the lives of moral saints are
boring.
Perhaps what we find interesting or boring is a function
of our moral education and development or
appreciation.
Saints and moral heroes challenge us to aspire to moral
heights.
They enhance the quality of life in our society.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 14. Two Approaches to
Moral Theories
Virtue-based theory:
We should acquire good character traits, not simply act
according to moral rules; morality involves being a
virtuous person.
Also known as aretaic ethics (from Greek arete meaning
“excellence” or “virtue”).
Action-based theory:
We should act properly by following moral rules; we judge
people based on how they act, not on whether they are
virtuous people.
Also known as rule-governed or deontic.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 15. Criticisms of
Action-Based Ethics (1 of 3)
They lack a motivational component.
They are uninspiring and negative (“thou shall not”) and
place a low value on morality; virtue theorists see
morality as intrinsically worthwhile.
They are founded on an obsolete theological-legal
model.
They undermine morality’s spirit; virtue ethicists focus on
developing admirable characters.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 16. Criticisms of
Action-Based Ethics (2 of 3)
They ignore the spontaneous dimension of ethics.
They reduce all moral assessments to judgments about
actions; virtue ethicists emphasize a person’s ingrained
qualities.
They are minimalist and neglect the development of
character.
They focus on social control; virtue ethics focus on the
duty to grow as a moral person.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 17. Criticisms of
Action-Based Ethics (3 of 3)
They overemphasize autonomy and neglect community.
They exaggerate the ability of each person to arrive at a
moral code by reason alone; virtue theorists focus on how
communities instill the virtues that teach and inspire
people to be moral.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 18. Connections Between Virtue-
Based and Action-Based Ethics
Pure virtue-based ethics—The virtues are dominant and
have intrinsic value. Moral rules or duties are derived
from the virtues.
Standard action-based view—Action-guiding principles
are the essence of morality. The virtues are derived
from the principles and are instrumental in performing
right actions.
Complementary (pluralistic) ethics—Both action-based
and virtue-based models are necessary for an adequate
and complete system. Neither the virtues nor the rules
are primary; they complement each other, and both
may have intrinsic value.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 19. Pure Virtue-Based Ethics
It doesn’t accurately describe how all moral actions are
generated or tell us what to do in instances where we
need the most direction.
The epistemological problem—Without principles,
virtues lack direction; we need a criteria for them.
The problem of virtue relativism—What counts as a
virtue changes over time and place.
The practical problem—It provides no guidance on how
to resolve an ethical dilemma.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 20. Standard Action-Based Ethics:
The Correspondence Thesis
The action-nature of the rules thesis—Moral rules
require persons (who possess or lack various virtues) to
perform or omit certain actions.
The reductionist thesis—Moral virtues are dispositions to
obey the moral rules.
Correspondence thesis—Each virtue corresponds to an
appropriate moral principle.
Instrumental value thesis—Moral virtues have no
intrinsic value, but do have instrumental and derivative
value.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 21. Standard Action-Based
Ethicist’s Responses to
Virtue-Based Criticisms
Moral psychology helps us develop the necessary virtues
to promote human flourishing.
We can separate rational decision-making systems from
theological ones without violating them.
We can honor the virtues without restricting morality to
them completely.
Moral minimalism can easily be universalized.
Morality emerging in communities implies ethical
relativism.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 22. Pluralistic (Complementarity)
Ethics
Both rules and virtues are important.
It rejects the action-nature of the rules thesis for
neglecting the close causal link between virtue and
action and failing to mention our moral obligations to
be certain kinds of people.
It rejects the reductionist thesis for reducing morality
to action.
It rejects the instrumental value thesis because the
virtues are part of what constitutes the good life.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
- 23. Conclusion
Virtue-based ethics challenges standard action-based
ethical theories.
Principles without character are impotent and the
virtues enliven the principles and empower the moral
life.
Both virtues and principles of action are important parts
of one’s moral perspective.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
