Virtue Principle

Course Teacher:
Professor Md. Zakir Hossain
Telephone/Mobile: 01712909421
E-mail: zakir.hossain02@northsouth.edu

LECTURE- 7
 Virtue Principle
• Virtue ethics is agent based. So it is an
alternative to action based moral principle.

• Virtue is defined as the good characteristics of

human. A person is said to be morally virtuous
when the person is disposed to behave
habitually in the way and with the reason and
feeling and desire that are characteristics of a
morally good person.
 Vitrue Ethics
For example honesty is a virtue of human.

A Person possesses the virtue of honesty when the

person habitually tell the truth and does so because he
believes telling the truth is right, feels good/
comfortable when he tells the truth. He always wants
to tell the truth out of respect for the truth and its
importance in human communication.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB9zwl0MJBg
 Character of Virtue
• What are the qualities of character that make
a person morally good human?
• Which traits of character are moral virtues?

In answering these question different

philosopher possesses different views:
 Character of Virtue
• According to Plato , when courage and desire
(fundamental aspects of human) of a human
are governed by his wisdom/ reason then he
will be virtuous.
 Character of Virtue
• Aristotle possesses same that of Plato in this
regards. After Aristotle, moral virtue, then, are
habits that enable a person to live according
to reason.
• A person leads according to reason, after
Aristotle, when the person knows and
chooses the reasonable middle ground
between going too far and not going far
enough.
 Character of Virtue
• In conclusion moral virtue is the mean
between two vices: one of excess and other of
deficiency, which is called golden mean.
Aristotle’s Conception of Virtue
Deficiency Balance Excess
Cowardice Courage Rashness
Sloth Ambition Greed
Miserliness Generosity Extravagance
 Application of Virtue Ethics
An action is morally right if in carrying out the
action the agent exercise, exhibits or develops
a morally virtuous character and it is morally
wrong to the extent when carrying out the
action the agent exercise, exhibits or develops
a morally vicious character.