Virtue ethics is built around the concept of the ideal virtuous person. Theories of rights focus on right action also, since actions are wrong if they violate anyones rights. This is not enough to make the view an instance of virtue ethics. Ethical character development and personal and academic excellence. List of virtues changes in village societies, strength and cunning were valued in fighting off invaders. The individual character ethics hold that the identification and development of noble human traits help in determining both the instrumental and intrinsic value of human ethical interactions. Virtue ethics is a philosophy developed by aristotle and other ancient greeks. Whenvirtueethicistsdoenunciatetheirpositiveclaims,however,there is often a lack of clarity and speci. The development of ethical character virtues is the key to personal, academic, and professional success in life. Some ethical theories provide you with real guidance. Three general theories of ethics and the integrative role of integrity theory article pdf available in ssrn electronic journal july 2002 with 45,531 reads how we measure reads. Then i want to briefly outline the theory of one very prominent contemporary virtue ethicist.
There is not one, single theory of virtue ethics that commands general agreement in the field. To be virtuous is to act virtuously, and the virtue ethicist s concern with character is at the same time a concern with action. Virtue ethics names a type of ethical theory that takes virtues of character, rather than individual actions or rules, as the most fundamental ethical concepts. Examples of virtue ethics in the workplace how you conduct yourself at work says a lot about your sense of ethics. Whether an act is morally right or good depends on whether it is in conformity or conflict with certain virtues or character traits. Pdf the virtues of aristotles virtue ethics gil sanders. I a virtue is a trait which allows one to ful ll ones function well. P1 if the averagist interpretation of aristotles theory of virtue is the correct theory of virtue, then it is logically impossible for the average person to be too lazy, or not generous enough, etc. The focus of the investigation was the role and relative importance of directors personal ethics as opposed to corporate governance rules or regulations and to what extent their understanding and practise of ethics as such, resembled kantian ethics, utilitarianism and aristotelian virtue theory avt. Any ethical theory must take into account virtues, consequences, and rules if it is to provide a plausible normative account of ethics. Traditional theories and models of business have outlived their usefulness as they are unable to adequately explain social reality. Four broad categories of ethical theory include deontology, utilitarianism, rights, and virtues. Pdf virtue theory and applied ethics liezl l van zyl academia.
In the tradition of western philosophy since the fifth century bc, the default form of ethical theory has been some version of what is nowadays called virtue ethics. By practicing being honest, brave, just, generous, and so on, a person develops an honorable and moral character. These character traits will, in turn, allow a person to make the correct decisions later on in life. Virtue ethics remained the unrivaled theory until it was briefly eclipsed in the 19th century by utilitarianism and deontology.
A critique of virtue ethics by benjamin studebaker today im taking on virtue ethics, the family of moral philosophies that make the character of the agent as opposed to the effects of the agents actions the focal point of moral theory. This field of study which is widely known as international political theory or. Must be the life of reason devoted to the pursuit of knowledgetruth virtue. For example, suppose your friend is struggling in 8. Ethics and behavior at work can help make or break a company because values and ethics helps to maintain order in the office, helps the companys operations run smoothly and they help maintain the companys profitability.
Pdf three general theories of ethics and the integrative. Virtue ethics is currently one of three major approaches in normative ethics. Virtue based ethical theories place less emphasis on which rules people should follow and instead focus on helping people develop good character traits, such as kindness and generosity. Virtue ethics or virtue theory is an approach to ethics that emphasizes an individuals character as the key element of ethical thinking, rather than rules about the acts themselves or their consequences consequentialism. Pdf critics of virtue ethics have argued that its focus on character rather than action, as well as its rejection of universal rules of right action. Modern virtue ethical theories have not yet achieved such a critical mass of argument and theory, and most are as yet. Virtue ethics is a framework that focuses on the character of the moral agent rather than the rightness of an action. It may, initially, be identified as the one that emphasizes the virtues, or moral character, in contrast to the approach that emphasizes duties or rules deontology or that emphasizes the consequences of actions consequentialism. Rather, virtues and vices will be foundational for virtue ethical theories and other normative notions will be grounded in them. Hursthouse, rosalind 1991, virtue theory and abortion. These include how virtues are acquired, how they are applied in various real.
Quandry ethics says little about how we live most of our lives, and who we are as people. Pdf virtue theory and applied ethics liezl l van zyl. On the contrary, consequentialists can and often do endorse this kind of view. Virtue ethics takes its philosophical root in the work of the ancient greek philosopher aristotle. In considering the relationships, emotional sensitivities, and motivations that are unique to human society it provides a fuller ethical analysis and encourages more flexible and creative solutions than principlism or.
Whether an act is morally right depends solely on consequences or the goodness of consequences. This characterbased approach to morality assumes that we acquire virtue through practice. The only guidance virtue theory offers us when it comes to our own actions is to tell us to seek out virtuous people and emulate them. It can fulfill its function well if it has the virtues of sharpness, durability, etc. It is the quest to understand and live a life of moral character. I the proper function of a basketball player is to play basketball well. These noble traits are courage, selfdiscipline, prudence, gratitude, wisdom, sincerity, understanding, benevolence, etc. Virtue ethics in action introduction my plan is to begin by explaining virtue ethics in rather general terms, showing how its different from the two other main traditions in ethics. This approach to ethics concentrates on moral principles about. Theories of ethics center for future consciousness. We must ask ourselves how this person would behave and what virtues he or she would embody. To determine the moral status of an action, utilitarianism has us look at c, deontology b, and virtue theory a.
Hursthouses virtue ethics takes as central the conception of a human being who possesses all ethical virtues of character and no vices or defects of characterhumanbeingratherthanpersonbecausetherelevantcharactertraitsarenaturaltothespecies. Critics of virtue ethics have argued that its focus on character rather than action, as well as its rejection of universal rules of right action renders virtue ethics unable to shed much light on the question of what ought and ought not to be done in specific situations. Virtue ethics by itself cant really answer any particular moral dilemma. Virtue ethics, kantian ethics and consequentialism. Utilitarianism, deontology and the social contract theory are theories in the ethics of right action.
While virtue ethics does share certain common targets with these and other ethical theories,it can be more clearly distinguished from them by its positive features. What matters for virtue theory, more specifically, is the character of the agent. I what is required to be an excellent teacher is di erent than what is required to be an excellent soldier, because teachers and soldiers have di erent functions. Such theories arise in religion, spiritual traditions, philosophy, socialpoliticalhistorical systems, literature and the humanities, social. The aim of this dissertation is to help resolve this problem by positing that eudaimonia and phronesis are necessary for a comprehensive virtue ethics theory. For the purposes of law enforcement, the major foundation in virtue ethics is the idea that if you are a good person, you will do. Criticisms of aristotles virtue ethics c an argument against thinking of the mean as just an average. Virtue ethics is best approached by looking at the central features of the classical version of the tradition.
The things that ful ll this function are various activities, like shooting, dribbling, passing, etc. Virtue ethics explained philosophy, ethics and religious. Virtue ethicists discuss the nature and definition of virtues and other related problems that focus on the consequences of action. Virtue theory accepts the importance of intentions and consequences but rejects as rationalistic and unrealistic view of ethics in the other approaches and sees ethical actions as combining reason and emotions. Aristotle, the founder of virtue ethics, believed that human beings are unique in having a potential they can fulfil by their own efforts. A virtue ethics approach to moral dilemmas in medicine. We will realize happiness and selffulfillment in life. Ipt, but can also be described as global ethics, hutchings 1999, lang 2014 has.
Virtue theory shows firms that pursue ethicallydriven. Again, the focus of virtue ethics is on becoming a virtuous person rather than on individual actions. Such theories arise in religion, spiritual traditions, philosophy, socialpoliticalhistorical systems, literature and the humanities, social and cultural movements, and pop psychologies. Rosalind hursthouse virtue theory and abortion the sort of ethical theory derived from aristotle, variously described as virtue ethics, virtue based ethics, or neoaristotelianism, is becoming better known, and is now quite widely recognized as at least a possible rival to deontological and utilitarian theories.
This paper develops a meta theory of business based on virtue theory which links the concept of virtues, the common good, and the dynamic economy into a unifying and comprehensive theory of business. Virtue ethics, kantian ethics and consequentialism introduction contemporary theories of virtue ethics are often presented as theories that are in opposition to kantian ethics and consequentialist ethics. Suppose you have to decide whether or not to tell a lie in order to save your friend from being embarrassed. Most virtue ethics theories take their inspiration from aristotle who declared that a virtuous person is someone who has. Ethical character development and personal and academic. Virtue theory as a dynamic theory of business springerlink. A virtue approach sees being ethical as not just deducing specific. Its emphasis is on a persons individual character when it comes to ethical thinking as opposed to consequences and actions. If virtues are powers of moral knowledge, the question arises. Virtue theories claim that ethics is about agents, not actions or consequences. Consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics are moral theories that evaluate morality on the basis of different factors. Thus hursthouse argues that virtue ethics, like deontological and consequentialist theories, begins with a specification of right action.
One reason that is commonly put forward to justify this opposition is that they take different moral. The only way to fulfil this potential, and achieve happiness, he argued, is to acquire the virtues. Theories of ethics thomas lombardo within human history and continuing into present times, we. We then base our own character development on this ideal standard. In a genuine virtue based ethics, virtue cannot be defined in terms of consequences, or for that matter in terms of rules, and the good cannot be defined independently of the virtues.
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