ETHICS

GROUP 18
 CONTENTS
01 02 03 04

Aristotle Telos Virtues as Habit Happines as Virtue

Definitons Definition & Definition & Definition &
Explenations Explenations Explenations
ARISTOTLE
The ancient greek philosopher & plymath
Who is Aristotle?
Aristotle is know as the father of Political Science

Why?
Because he elaborated on the topics and thinking of the Ideal State, slavery,
revolution, education, citizenship, forms of government, the theory of golden
mean, theory of constitution

He was a Greek philosopher and Polymath. Also as a great student of

Plato and teahcer of Alexander the Great.
Aristotle considered ethics to be a practical
rather than theoretical study, i.e., one aimed
at becoming good and doing good rather
than knowing for its own sake
 02

Now! What is
Telos?
To understand the concept of telos, you have to know something
about Aristotle’s view of nature. According to Aristotle, there are
four different kinds of causes that explain why things happen or
exist.
One is the material cause. This is the stuff that makes up whatever
it is you’re studying.

For example, if you study a bird, the material cause would be

feathers, bones and so on. Another is the formal cause.

This describes what something is made out of, such as having

feathers and wings. A bird has those features because it is a bird,
not because they just happen to be there. Still another type of
cause is called a final cause.

The final cause explains why something exists or why it does what
it does.
In other words, what’s the purpose of something? For example, a
bird exists to fly, not to sit in a tree doing nothing all day long. The
fourth kind of cause is.
What Is Telos?
Telos concept that deals with the goal or purpose of things.
Telos is a Greek word that means “purpose.”
In the context of human behavior, it refers to the ultimate goal
or purpose that any activity is meant to fulfill.
For instance, to say that the telos of a tree is to grow is merely
to state an obvious fact about nature.
But if you said that one of the telos (or purposes or goals) of
your life was to be happy, then you’re talking about something
you’ve chosen for yourself.
What is Virtue?
Virtue is the quality of being morally good. If you're
writing a screenplay and you want it to be a real tearjerker, make
sure your hero is full of virtue.

Aristotle refers to virtues as character traits or

psychological dispositions. Virtues are those particular
dispositions that are appropriately related to the situation and,
to link back to our function, encourage actions that are in
accordance with reason.
 03

Virtue as habit
Virtues are habits. That is, once they are acquired, they become characteristic of a person. For
example, a person who has developed the virtue of generosity is often referred to as a generous
person because he or she tends to be generous in all circumstances.

Is Virtue a Habit?
According to Aristotle, virtue is a habit:
Aristotle believed that virtue as a habit requires an intentional choice when you begin. The habit of
virtue is not yet developed, but over time one becomes used to behaving virtuously and after a while
one acts virtuously without needing to use volition. You have become virtuous—it’s now part of you
and how you act.
 04

Happines as
Virtue
FOR STUDENTS
Aristotle's Definition of Happiness:
…the function of man is to live a certain kind of life, and this activity implies a rational principle,
and the function of a good man is the good and noble performance of these, and if any action is
well performed it is performed in accord with the appropriate excellence: if this is the case, then
happiness turns out to be an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue. (Nicomachean Ethics,
1098a13)

According to Aristotle, happiness consists in achieving, through the course of a whole lifetime, all
the goods — health, wealth, knowledge, friends, etc. — that lead to the perfection of human nature
and to the enrichment of human life.
 THANK YOU
FOR YOUR ATTENTION

Group 18 Members
ESPINOSA, MARK VINCENT
ASIODCHE, CECILLE JIM
GARGALLANO, MARY JEAN