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Aristotles Virtue Ethics 1
Aristotles Virtue Ethics 1
VIRTUE ETHICS
Mrs. Mary Rose Cagande
Mr. Jose Norman Bajar
Would you rather lead an
enviable or an admirable life?
Why?
What is the difference?
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Which life is best for the bearer?
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To live the “right” kind
of life…
How ought I to act?
(question of action)
What kind of person ought I to be?
(question of character)
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There are two ways of approaching
the question of what it means to be
moral or ethical:
1. Ethics of Doing = Action-based
Ethics = Ethics of Conduct. Asks the
question: What should I do?
2. Ethics of Being = Virtue-based Ethics
= Aretaic Ethics. Asks the question:
What should I become??
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Virtue Ethics in General
• De-emphasizes
– intentions
– consequences
– rules
• Emphasizes the person who
is acting
• Inquires whether the
person is expressing good
character
The question is…
NOT:
What should I do?
But rather:
What sort of person
should I be?
How do I build good
character?
Origins of Virtue Ethics
• The theory of virtue ethics originates in
Ancient Greece, though some connections can
be drawn as far back as Ancient China.
• In Greek, virtue (arête) means ‘excellence’.
• Socrates once claimed: “it’s the greatest good
for a man to discuss virtue all day … on the
grounds that the unexamined life is not worth
living” (The Apology).
Aristotle is the most detailed and
comprehensive proponent of Virtue
Ethics among the Ancient Greek
philosophers
He was NOT primarily interested in
particular actions, but rather in
identifying the type of person who
would act properly.
But WHO IS ARISTOTLE?
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Aristotle 384-322 BC
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