Virtue Ethics

Virtue ethics is a broad term for theories that emphasize the role of character and virtue in moral philosophy rather than either doing one’s duty or acting in order to bring about good consequences. Virtue Ethics is a normative philosophical approach that urges people to live a moral life by cultivating virtuous habits. A virtue ethicist is likely to give this kind of moral advice: “Act as a virtuous person would act in your situation.” An example of virtue ethics could be: an individual who returns to the store to pay for a product he forgot to pay for. While traditional virtue ethics centers on eudaimonia (I.e. the state that all humans should aim for as it is the aim and end of human existence, which can be reached when we act in accordance with reason), modern interpretations by philosophers have shifted the focus away from that Ancient Greek interpretation and more towards a broad set of theories that place intrinsic value on virtue and their social context. These contemporary approaches show that virtue ethics can be understood without necessarily prioritizing eudaimonia, making the field more diverse and adaptable. But this sort of philosopher encounters a difficult question - what exactly is virtue? How are virtues such as courage or honesty different than perfection of the mind (e.g. memory or good reasoning skills)? Further, the virtue theorist encounters questions that Kant raised surrounding the philanthropist who donated to charity because he feels good doing it, as opposed to the philanthropist who does it out of a sense of duty (I.e. who is more virtuous, and what role does your internal sentiments and disposition(s) play in affecting your virtuous worth?). As with most other primary theories in moral philosophy, being a virtuous person regardless of the consequences or the act (I.e. focusing on intention) is widespread in every-day moral reasoning.