Virtue ethics asks What kind of person should I be? What kind of person should I strive to be? I should strive to be virtuous. Thus‚ the notion of virtue becomes fundamental. What is a virtue? A fixed positive character trait that involves various dispositions. For Aristotle morality is about living in accordance with virtue. Every activity has some goal or end and his project here is to figure out what the Good consists in According to Aristotle something is good to the extent that it fulfills
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Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics The philosophy of virtue ethics‚ which primarily deals with the ways in which a person should live‚ has puzzled philosophers from the beginning of time. There are many contrasting interpretations regarding how one should live his or her life in the best way possible. It is in my opinion that the Greeks‚ especially Aristotle‚ have exhibited the most logical explanation of how to live the "good life". The following paper will attempt to offer a detailed understanding
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Aristotle had a few theories of ethics. Aristotle believed that one attains happiness by living a virtuous life and through the development of reason and the faculty of theoretical wisdom. He believed that moral virtue is a relative mean between extremes of excess and deficiency and in general the moral life is one of moderation in all things except virtue. He believed that virtuous acts require conscious choice and moral purpose or motivation. Finally‚ he believed that moral virtue cannot be achieved
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Virtue ethics was systematized by Aristotle during the 4th century BC. In his writing‚ Nichomachean Ethics‚ Aristotle outlined three terms to describe his ideology. The first of these three terms is eudaimonia. This means happiness‚ “good spirit‚” or flourishing. In Aristotle’s eyes‚ eudaimonia is the state to achieve to realize ones full potential. The second term‚ telos‚ is the end‚ purpose‚ aim‚ or goal that one should be trying to achieve. One can only achieve eudaimonia by fulfilling their telos
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Aristotle Notes Introduction: Aristotle’s Definition of Happiness “Happiness depends on ourselves.” More than anybody else‚ Aristotle enshrines happiness as a central purpose of human life and a goal in itself. As a result he devotes more space to the topic of happiness than any thinker prior to the modern era. Living during the same period as Mencius‚ but on the other side of the world‚ he draws some similar conclusions. That is‚ happiness depends on the cultivation of virtue‚ though his virtues
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Aristotle believes that we need virtue‚ both of thought and of character‚ to achieve that completeness leading to happiness. This is the function: activity in the soul in accord with virtue‚ where soul is defined as what is in us that carries out our characteristic activity. Aristotle is right in believing we need virtue. The end of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics Book I introduces the idea that since happiness is “a certain sort of activity of the soul in accord with complete virtue‚ we
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lifestyle is right for us. More so‚ how do we know which lifestyles are those that are correct for human beings? According to Aristotle‚ to live a just and correct lifestyle we must use reasoning in our actions while also practicing those that are characteristics that are virtuous. Virtue being that of good character‚ good habits and being conducted by reason. Such virtues commonly known are courage or modesty. It is through a series of reasonable actions that form good character that we humans can
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STUDY OF VIRTUE ETHICS IN ARISTOTLE AND KANT Aristotle was the first western thinker to divide philosophy into branches which are still recognizable today: logic‚ metaphysics‚ and natural philosophy‚ philosophy of mind‚ ethics and politics‚ rhetoric; he made major contributions in all these fields. He was born in Stagira‚ a city of northern Greece in 384 BC. His father Nicomachus was a doctor at the court of Amyntas of Macedon‚ who preceded Philip‚ the conqueror of much of Greece. Aristotle later
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Aristotle Virtues Theory talks about doing the right thing because it is rights. Not doing the right thing because it benefits you or because something of your personal is at stake. It is also about understanding right from wrong and applying that knowledge to moral behavior. Aristotle believed that when making a decision morals tend to take over in more cases than none. The decisions that we make has to do with having the knowledge of understanding right from wrong. He also say that the right decisions
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With any approach to ethics there will be conflicts‚ ambiguity or in some cases inconsistency. However in all approaches to ethics‚ such as Kantianism‚ Utilitarianism or in this case virtue there will be logical‚ rational and sound decisions made and outcomes produced. Virtue ethics is influenced heavily by Aristotle whose Nichomachean ethics was based on the teleological idea that nature is for a purpose i.e. Sex is for reproduction. One clear advantage of the virtue ethics system is that as opposed
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