This document discusses Aristotle's virtue ethics philosophy. It explains that virtue ethics focuses on developing good moral character and virtuous behaviors rather than rules or consequences of actions. Aristotle defined virtues as excellences that are a mean between deficiencies and excesses. He identified intellectual virtues like wisdom and moral virtues like courage. Virtue ethics was also discussed in other traditions like Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity. The document emphasizes that virtues are not inherited but developed through practice and choice over time.

1. Ethics GE107
Lesson 2: Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics
Introduction
Virtue Ethics is a philosophy developed by Aristotle and other ancient Greeks.
It is the quest to understand and live a life of moral character.
Objectives
Articulate what virtue ethic is
Cite some criticisms or questions against virtue ethics
ARISTOTLE’S VIRTUES
At the age of seventeen, Aristotle (384-322 BCE) traveled from northern Greece to Athens where he
hoped to study at Plato’s famous Academy. He must have liked what he found, since he stayed for
nineteen years, eventually becoming one of the teachers. He left the Academy and Athens when Plato
died in 347, but returned in 335 to open his own school at the Lyceum (a gymnasium and garden located
near the temple of Apollo Lyceus). Aristotle is reported to have written
dialogues after the manner of Plato, as well as the extensive lecture notes that he
used in the classroom, and ancient readers of his dialogues claim that he was an
exceptionally gifted writer. Unfortunately, none of these dialogues survived
many centuries past his death, and all that we have had available of Aristotle’s
writings (at least for the last two thousand years or so) are his lecture notes.
Some of these notes are highly polished, while others are rough and rather
schematic, and much of their ordering was introduced later by ancient editors.
But regardless of their literary merit, their philosophical and scientific
importance is unsurpassed, and has affected the nature and growth of the western
intellectual world in untold ways. Aristotle was a great scholar, scientist, and
teacher, a giant of the past whose thoughts still move as a living force among us.
VIRTUE OR CHARACTER ETHICS
The following excerpts clarifies what virtue ethics is:
 An ethical act is the action that a virtuous person would do in the same circumstances. Virtue
ethics is person-based rather than action-based. It looks at the virtue or moral character of the
person carrying out an action, rather than at ethical duties and rules or the consequences of
particular actions.
 Virtue ethics does not apply deal with the rightness or wrongness of individual actions. It
provides guidance as to the sort of characteristics and behaviors as a good person will seek to
achieve. In that way, virtue ethics is concerned with the whole of a person’s life, rather than
particular episodes or actions. A good person is someone who lives virtuously-who possess and
lives the virtues.
Virtue ethics uses the following as a framework for ethical decision making. This is how it is done:
In Virtue frameworks, we try to identify the character traits (either positive or negative) that
might motivate us in a given situation. We are concerned with what kind of person we should be and what
our actions indicate about our character. We define ethical behavior as whatever virtuous person would
do in the situation, and we seek to develop similar virtues.
Obviously, this framework is useful in situations that ask what sort of person one should be. As
a way of making sense of the world, it allows for a wide range of behaviors to be called ethical, as there

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might be many different types of good character and many paths to developing it. Consequently, it takes
into accounts all parts of human experience and their role in ethical deliberation, as it believes that all of
one’s experience, emotions, and thoughts can influence the development of one’s character.
Stated similarly, virtue ethics is the “the ethics of behavior” which “focuses on the character of
the persons involved in the decision or action. If the person in question has good character, and genuine
motivation and intentions, he or she is behaving ethically”. The rightness or wrongness of one’s action, or
the goodness or badness of one’s personality depends on his character, motivations and intentions.
Virtue ethics, is an ethics whose goal is to determine what is essential to being a well-functioning
or flourishing human person. Virtue ethics stresses an ideal for humans or persons. As an ethics of ideals
or excellences, it is an optimistic and positive type of ethics."
BASIC TYPES OF VIRTUE (EXCELLENCE)
Aristotle gave two types of virtue
1) intellectual virtues 2) moral virtues
Intellectual virtues refer to excellence of the mind while moral virtues refer to a person's
dispositions to act well. Intellectual virtues include ability to understand, reason and judge well while
moral virtues dispose a person to act well.
In the context of Aristotle, virtue is an attained, actualized or self- realized potential or
possibility. It can serve as a moral framework. When one has the potential or possibility of becoming a
musician, he tries to train and study to become a musician following a musician's virtue as a framework.
Aristotle (384-323 BC) posited an ethical system that may be termed "self realizationism." In
Aristotle's view, when a person acts in accordance with his nature and realizes his full potential,
he will do good and be content. At birth, a baby is not a person, but a potential person. To become
a "real" person, the child's inherent potential must be realized. Unhappiness and frustration are
caused by the unrealized potential of a person, leading to failed goals and a poor life. Aristotle
said, "Nature does nothing in vain." Therefore, it is imperative for people to act in accordance with
their nature and develop their latent talents in order to be content and complete. Happiness was
held to be the ultimate goal. All other things, such as civic life or wealth, are merely means to the
end. Self-realization, the awareness of one's nature and the development of one's talents, is the
surest path to happiness.
The material world is in state of actualizing, realizing what it is potential for. Everything has its
potency for something, its nature. Nature unfolds naturally, it has no obligation to be so. It has no intellect
and will. But a person has an obligation to be what he/she is meant or in potency to be. It his/her obligation
to develop his/her talent and virtues. The highest good or end, telos, of a person is the fullness of his/her
self-development or actualization. The concomitant result of this development or actualization of his/her
potentials is what Aristotle termed as happiness or the experience of happiness.
Virtue is an attained, actualized or self-realized potential or possibility. In short, virtue means
excellence and virtue ethics is excellence ethics.
VIRTUE AS A MEAN
For Aristotle, virtue is the Golden Mean between two extremes. The virtue of courage is a mean
between two extremes of deficiency and extreme, namely, cowardice and foolhardiness, respectively. Too
little courage is cowardice and too much courage is foolhardiness (MacKinnon, et al 2015).

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ARISTOTLE’S VIRTUE ETHICS
The Golden Mean
Vice of Deficiency Virtue ( Moderation) Vice of Excess
Cowardice Courage Foolhardiness
Insensibilty Temperance Licentiousness
Stinginess Generosity Prodigality
Meanness Magnificence Vulgarity (ostentatious display
of wealth)
Humility Highmindedness Varity
Lack of ambition Wholesome ambition Overambitiousness
VIRTUE ETHICS IN OTHER TRADITIONS
Confucius emphasized two virtues, jen (or ren) and li. Jen means humaneness, human-
heartedness and compassion. Li means propriety, manners or culture.
Hinduism emphasizes five basic moral virtues: non-violence, truthfulness, honesty, chastity,
freedom from greed. It also emphasizes mental virtues: calmness, self-control, self-settledness, forbearance,
faith and complete concentration, hunger for spiritual liberation. (George, V. 2008)
Buddhism also has its intellectual and moral virtues. From the eight- fold path are the
intellectual virtues of right understanding and right mindfulness and the moral virtues of right
speech, right action and right livelihood.
Jesus Christ preached the virtues of love, mercy and compassion, hunger for justice,
patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control. St. Thomas Aquinas taught the theological virtues - faith,
hope and love. Christian tradition teaches four cardinal moral virtues, namely: prudence, justice,
temperance and fortitude.
St. Thomas being an eclectic philosopher, integrated into his own philosophy anything that is
good conceived by his predecessors like Aristotle. But he enriched their thoughts with his own insights or
learning. The attainment of the highest good, which is happiness, includes its diffusion. "Bonum difusivum
est." Goodness as goodness necessarily diffuses itself. A person's virtue diffuses itself in a right action.
Goodness shares itself, like a light that shines before all men.
One more point regarding various potentials of man which when actualized becomes virtues is
Hans George Gadamer's re-interpretation of Aristotle definition of man as a "homo logos," a speaking
animal. In other words, in the light Aristotle's wisdom, the virtue of being man is being a speaking animal,
meaning, his attainment of a meaningful, refined, and civilized language. Gutter language is vice; beautiful,
meaningful and refined language is virtue. One who has a virtue of a refined language speaks rightfully.
The virtuous person did not inherit his/her virtues. Neither were these virtues simply passed
on to him automatically. His being a person of virtue is a product of deliberate, consistent, continuous
choice and practice of living the virtue or virtues.
Application
1. The virtuous person did not inherit his/her virtues. Neither did the virtuous person just pop up.
Neither were these virtues simply passed on to him automatically.
What message does this tell you?

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2. Here is a quote attributed to Lao Tzu.
“Watch your thought; they become your words.
Watch your words; they become your actions.
Watch your actions; they become your habits.
Watch your habits; they become your character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”
How does this apply to you in your desire to become a virtuous, ethical person?
3. Why is it difficult to be a person of a virtue?
4. Learned but not educated (In Ilocano -de adal nem awan sursuro na;
in Filipino – maraming alam ngunit walang pinag-aralan)
Activity
Form a paragraph using the guide questions below (minimum of 100 words)
 Give examples of virtuous person you admire
 Why do you consider them virtuous persons?
 What virtues do they possess?