Aristotle Virtue Ethics

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. The third term, arête, refers to whatever makes a thing an “outstanding specimen” of its kind. This is often also called virtue. To Aristotle, the “good” or “virtuous” life is achieved whenever ones potential is fully actualized. This encompasses
Virtues of thought, also called intellectual virtues, are acquired through teaching, experience, and time. There are five characteristics of virtues of thought. The first, techne, is the knowledge of skill of making. Techne, the second characteristic, is practical judgement. This is choosing the right means for the right ends. The third, episteme, is explicit reasoning or formal logic, and typically applies to permanent things such as geometry. Nous, the fourth characteristic, is the prerational grasping of the nature of things. Lastly, sophia (a combination of episteme and nous), is wisdom. In this case, wisdom means knowledge aimed at the highest and best ends. Virtues of character, in contrast, are acquired through practice and engrained over time. Virtues of character are broken into three characteristics: temperance, courage, and justice. Temperance refers to moderation, courage is doing right in the face of fear, and justice is balance and
These values are Excellence, Integrity, Leadership, Loyalty, Respect, and Selfless Service. These are all most likely Virtues of Character, as defined by Aristotle. The first three values are easily defined and demonstrated. To Aggies, excellence means setting the bar for those around us. We have a saying here: “What do you call an Aggie in five years? Your boss.” This is a statement built off of data. According to the U.S. News and World Report, Texas A&M has the 8th best public engineering undergraduate program, with our petroleum engineering program taking the top spot. In discussions among peers in engineering programs at other schools (especially chemical engineering majors), I have found that Texas A&M’s engineering programs are generally perceived as very comprehensive and highly challenging. One can easily argue that we set the bar for engineering education based on the above information, especially in the Southeastern Conference. The second core value, integrity, is most clearly displayed in the Aggie Code of Honor: “An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do.” At Texas A&M, we take this code very seriously – it is written on the top of every test we take during our education, and we are expected to uphold it without exception. Third, Aggies strive for leadership in many aspects of their lives. I have had the opportunity to be a student leader