Virtue Ethics

MODULE V

Presented by
Loreno,Sherlyn
Lapi-an, Lara
Malunes , Jehan
Remedios, Efrel
Portrait of Aristoteles. Pentelic marble,
Pasco, Kyla
Salbibia, Angel
 As Filipinos, we each have a unique identity. Our culture, which is a
synthesis of several cultures that have influenced us, defines us. The
individuals who have an impact that may be felt in our life as Filipinos
include the Spaniards, Americans, Japanese, Arabs, and Chinese. At this
point, we can see several ideals that Filipinos share. The importance of
paggalang, deep family ties, and bayanihan are a few of these positive
values. But there are also negative values. Some of these ideals include
"bahala na mindset," "ningas kugon," and pakikisama (in a negative
sense)
 What is Virtue Ethics?

Virtue Ethics is an approach to ethics that treats the concept of moral

virtue as central, It is a quest to understand and live a life of moral
character. Virtue Ethics is a philosophy that developed by Aristotle and
ohter ancient Greeks. 
According to Aristotle's ethical theory, the virtuous person exhibits the
joint excellence of reason and of character. The virtuous person not only
knows what the good thing to do is, he/she is also emotionally attached to
it. 
 Virtuous and Non-Virtuous Act

 Honesty, courage, compassion, generosity, fidelity, integrity,

fairness, self-control, and prudence are all examples of
virtues.

 The first of these is that a non-virtuous a. often ought to do something

that is not characteristic of a virtuous person, such as. advice, avoid
temptation, or take steps to improve his character, in which case.
qualified-agent account gives the wrong result.
 Plato and Aristotle Authorities in
the study of ethics

Aristotle conceives of ethical theory as a field distinct

from the theoritical sciences.
Aristotle follow Socrates and Plato in taking the Virtues
to be central to a well-lived life. Like Plato, in taking the
ethical values such as justice, courage, temperance and
so on as a complex rational, emotional, and social skills.
Aristotle put forward three conditions for an act to
count as virtuous.

 (a) have practical knowledge, i.e. know what she

is doing,
 (b) chose the act and chose it for its own sake and
 (c) the act must flow from a firm character.
Nicomachean Ethics

A Nicomachean ethics is Aristotle best-known work on

ethics, the science of the good for human life. One of the
earliest treatises on the nature of good actions and ethics.
Written around 340 B.C.E. This book has been devided
into ten sections. The title assumed to refer to his son
Nicomachus. Alternatively, may have been dedicated to
his father who was called Nicomachus. The work plays a
pre-eminent role in explaining Aristotelian ethics.
What is the point of Nicomachean
Ethics?

The goal of Nicomachean Ethics is to

determine how best to achieve happiness.
Happiness depends in living accordance with
appropriate virtues. Virtue is disposition
rather than an activity.
 What are the 11
Nicomachean Ethics?
The Virtues Aristotle discusses in
Nicomachean Ethics are:
 Courage, the midpoint between cowardice and recklessness.
 Temperance, A virtue between overindulgence and insensitivity.
 Liberality, the virtue of charity.
 Magnificence, the virtue of living extravagantly.
 Magnanimity, the virtue relating to pride.
 Patience, this is the virtue that controls your temper.
 Truthfulness, the virtue of honesty.
 Wittiness, midpoint between buffoonery and boorishness.
 Friendliness, this virtue lies between not being friendly at all and being friendly towards too many people.
 Shame, the midpoint between being too shy and being shameless.
 Justice, this is the virtue if dealing fairly with others.
 WHAT IS THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE OF
HUMAN EXISTENCE?

The soul faculty of a personA soul, Aristotle says, is “the actuality of a

body that has life,” where life means the capacity for self-sustenance,
growth, and reproduction. Aristotle defines the soul and explains the
activities of living things by laying out three defining capacities of the soul:
nutrition, perception, and intellect. He then uses these three fundamental
capacities to account for further abilities such as locomotion and
imagination.
 What is the end or goal for which we
should direct all of our activities?
All human activities aim at some end that we consider good.
Most activities are a means to a higher end. The highest
human good, then is that activity that is an end in itself. That
good is happiness. When we aim at happiness, we do so for it’s
own sake, not because happiness helps is realize some other
end. The goal of Nicomachean Ethics is to determine how best
to achieve happiness. Happiness depends on living accordance
with appropriate virtues. Virtue is disposition rather than an
activity.
AristotleFordefinition of
Aristotle, however,
happiness is a final end or goal
happiness
that encompasses the totality of
one’s life. It is not something
that can be gained or lost in a
few hours, like pleasurable
sensations. It is more like the
ultimate value of your life as
lived up to this moment,
measuring how well you have
lived up to your full potential as
a human. Being. For this reason,
one cannot really make any
pronouncements about whether
one has lived a happy life until it
is over, As Aristotle says, “for as
it is not one swallow or one fine
day that makes a spring, so it is
not one day or a short time that
makes a man blessed and
happy.”
What is that makes human being
different from the rest of the animal
kingdom?

Aristotle answers: Reason. Only humans are capable of

acting according to principles, and in so doing taking
responsibility for their choices.
 The Pursuit of Happiness as the
Exercise of Virtue

In the quote above, we can see another important feature of Aristotle’s

theory: the link between the concepts of happiness and virtue. Aristotle
tells us that the most important factor in the effort to achieve happiness is
to have a good moral character what he calls “complete virtue.” But being
virtuous is not a passive state: one must act in accordance with virtue. Nor
is it enough to have a few virtues; rather one must strive to
He is happy who lives in accordance with complete virtue and is sufficiently
equipped with external goods, not for some chance period but throughout
a complete life.
 Amorally virtuous person:
 •isconcerned with achieving her appropriate action
in a manner that is either excessiven or deficient.
 •targets the mesotes.
 The rightness or wrongness of feelings, passions, and
abilities lies in the degree of their application in a
given situationnot in the person itself.
TABLE OF VIRTUE AND VICES
Rational Faculty of a person
A rational person is someone who is
sensible and is able to make decisions
based on intelligent thinking rather than on
emotion. The rational principle is particular
to human beings, and a human life, in order
to be happy, must be lived in accordance
with reason.
MORAL VIRTUE
•The action done that normally manifests
feelings andpassions is chosen because it is
the middle.

•The rational faculty that serves as a guide

for theproper identification of the middle is
practicalwisdom.
 MORAL VIRTUE

 A person who has a character that is apparent through her

habitualperformance of specified activitier is said to have
moral virtue. Second in moral goodness is the action taken
that often displays emotion, followed because it is in middle
masses is chosen.
 ARISTOTLE GOLDEN MEAN

 The middle is not underdeveloped or excersive in relation to the right

amount, which these feeling or passion should be measured. Aristotle
adds that the middle is relative to us. The case would signify that
aristotle adheres to relativism. This means that in hoosing the middle
is looking at the situation and not at oneself in identifying the proper
way that feeling and passion should be dispered.
 WHAT IS PRACTICAL WISDOM?

 To make good choice

 Practical wisdom is a true and reasoned state or capacity to act.- Practical
wisdom, aid in making a virtous person develop this habit of doing the good.
 Aristotle clarifies further thats not all feeling,passions, and action have a middle
point.