GEN006: Applied Ethics

Module #3 Student Activity Sheet

CHRISEBELLE SHANE C. GABIANA
Name: Class number:
Section: 2BSN-B8 Schedule: Date:

Learning Unit: Ethical Frameworks: Virtue Ethics (Aquinas and Learning Materials:
Aristotle) Student Activity Sheets (PEN Modules)
Learning Objectives:
At the end of the module, the student should be able to: Learning Resources:
1. Characterize virtues as presupposing knowledge in their Copp, D. (2006). The Oxford Handbook of Ethical
actuality. Theory. Oxford University Press, Inc.
Debeljuh, P. (2006). Ethics: Learning to Live. Focus
Publishers Ltd.
2. Compare virtues (as rational moderation) and vices (as
Shafer-Landau, R. (2013). Ethical Theory: An
extremes of the mean). Anthology (2nd Edition). John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A. LESSON PREVIEW/REVIEW

INTRODUCTION (5 MINS)
The previous lesson taught us that as humans, we are moral agents for we experience and develop principles and
concepts of morality from the moment we are born. We, then, use these experiences and principles to address
and/or resolve our personal and moral dilemmas, as well as social ethical issues.

To continue our search for the ultimate good, we must progress to understanding what are the different ethical
frameworks that justify the rightness or wrongness of our actions. In this lesson, you are to learn the nature of
Virtue Ethics and its significance to good and moral behavior.

Instructions: Make a concept map to answer the question/s below. Use the space provided.
1. What makes a virtuous man?

Fairness Prudence
Honesty
Self-control

Courage
Integrity

Compassion
Fidelity
Generosity

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B. MAIN LESSON

LESSON PRESENTATION/CONTENT NOTES (15 MINS)

Instructions: Take your time to read and understand all the important information you need to know about the
lesson. Also, please do not forget to highlight important information to help you remember.

VIRTUE ETHICS
– Believes in pursuing virtues or ideal character traits rather than following a set of rules is what makes us
moral. Focusing on being a good person will eventually lead to doing the right actions.
– Concerned with the whole of a person's life, rather than episodes or actions for it focuses on the
characteristics and behavior a good person seeks to achieve.

● THOMAS AQUINAS’ THEORY OF VIRTUE ETHICS

– Believes that people need to identify meaningful goals before they can act which involves two concepts:
(1) Principles (rules about how to act) and (2) Virtues (traits which are taken to be good or moral to
have). The purpose of these concepts is to direct people towards the goal of human fulfillment or living
a worthwhile life which means that morality is bringing moral order to one’s own action and will (i.e.,
considering the effects of your actions towards yourself before others).
– Believes that the motive of an action is also crucial, and two apparently identical acts may be right and
wrong because of their motives (e.g., Deliberately killing someone in self-defense because of hatred
towards them is wrong, whereas killing someone as a side-effect of fighting off their attack is justified).

– Principles:
1. Moral thought is that good should be pursued, and evil avoided. Interpreted as the golden rule,
“Do unto others as you would have them unto you.”
2. Moral thought should aim towards six basic human goods: (1) life, (2) knowledge, (3) friendship,
(4) marriage, (5) religion, and (6) practical reason. Murder is wrong for it removes the good of life.
Lying is also wrong because it violates the purpose of knowledge and reason. Premarital sex and
adultery is wrong because it goes against the concept of ‘good’ marriage.
– Four Virtues:
1. Prudence. Doing the right thing at the right time, in the right place, and in the right manner.
2. Temperance. Denotes moderation of desires and physical pleasures such as eating, drinking, and sex.
3. Courage. The desire to do actions that are difficult to attain or avoid, and the act of restraining fear
to do actions rightly.
4. Justice. A disposition to give others what they are entitled to (rights) which serves as a guide in
interacting with other people and developing relationships.

● ARISTOTLE’S THEORY OF VIRTUE ETHICS

– Believes that human action is directed towards the pursuit of the concept of Eudaimonia (supreme
happiness) which could be achieved through Phronesis (practical wisdom) or Arête (virtue).
– Believes that virtues are dispositions that act to effectively perform one’s proper function in similar
situations creating habits of behaving in certain ways. Thus, for a person to be good, they must be the
best in the performance of various tasks which is the result of repeated action and correction of conduct
(e.g., a singer does their best performance if they practice/rehearse their songs before the
– concert).

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 – Virtues of Character: (1) Generosity and (2) Temperance
– Virtues of Thought: (1) Wisdom, (2) Intelligence, and (3) Comprehension
– Doctrine of the Mean/Golden Mean. Moral behavior is the balance between the vices of virtues
(deficiency and excess), between pleasure (excess) and pain (deficiency).

VIRTUES AND VICES

DEFICIENCY (-) BALANCE EXCESS (+)
Stinginess Generosity Extravagance
Self-Indulgence Temperance Insensibility
Cowardice Courage Rashness
Injustice Justice Injustice
Corrupted by Pain Prudence Corrupted by Pleasure
Sloth/Laziness Ambition/Determination Greed
Humility Modesty Pride
Secrecy/Shadiness Honesty/Transparency Boastfulness
Moroseness/Sadness Good Humor Absurdity
Quarrelsomeness Friendship Flattery/Obsequious
Apathy Composure Irritability
Indecisiveness Self-Control Impulsiveness
Ruthlessness Mercy Self-Subjugation
Meekness Self-Love Arrogant
Tastelessness Magnificence Vulgarness
Indolence Industrious Overambitious
Indifference Caring Controlling
Impatient Tolerant Dormant
Timid Confident Domineering
Treason Loyalty Fanaticism
Unsure Vigilant Impetuous
Rudderless Flexible Rigid
Tyranny Freedom Anarchy
Uniformity Individuality Eccentricity
Stagnation Growth Inflation
Cynicism Faith Credulity
Abasement Honor Puffery

SKILL-BUILDING ACTIVITY: INFOGRAPHIC (30 MINS)

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 Instructions: Make an infographic identifying five (5) virtues that you have according to Aristotle’s Theory of
Virtue Ethics (Doctrine of the Mean/Golden Mean). Also, provide a brief explanation as to how you show these
virtues and why you consider them virtuous acts. You can use online editing applications such as Canva and PPT,
then, paste it in the space below. If you don’t have access to these applications, you can draw or doodle your
infographic.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING: IDENTIFICATION (5 MINS)

Instructions: Determine whether the following actions are virtues or vices.

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 Vice 1. A person giving more than s/he can offer to others.
Virtue 2. Walking in the pedestrian lane.
Virtue 3. Giving alms to those who are in need.
Vice 4. Stealing money from the taxes of the people.
Vice 5. Eating with your eyes.

C. LESSON WRAP-UP

THINKING ABOUT LEARNING (5 MINS)

Think About Your learning. Take a few minutes to reflect and think.
Caselet
"In August 2000, a young woman from Gozo, an island near Malta, discovered that she was carrying
conjoined twins. Knowing that health-care facilities on Gozo were inadequate to deal with the complications of
such a birth, she and her husband came to St. Mary’s Hospital in Manchester, England to have the babies delivered.
The infants, known as Mary and Jodie, were joined at the lower abdomen. Their spines were fused, and they had
one heart and set of lungs between them. Jodie, the stronger, was providing blood for her sister. No one knows how
many sets of conjoined twins are born each year….The causes of the phenomenon are largely unknown, but we do
know that conjoined twins are a variant of identical twins. When the cell-cluster (the pre-embryo) splits three to
eight days after fertilization, identical twins are created; when the split is delayed a few days longer, the division
may be incomplete and the twins may be conjoined. Some sets of conjoined twins do well. They grow to adulthood
and sometimes marry and have children themselves. But the outlook for Mary and Jodie was grim. The doctors said
that, without intervention, they would die within six months. The only hope was an operation to separate them.
This would save Jodie, but Mary would die immediately.”

Applying virtue ethics, if you were the mother or father of Mary and Jodie, what would you do?

If I were the parents of Mary and Jodie, the conjoined twins, I would owe it to them morally to
have the twins split through surgery. By preserving one life instead of none, separating the
twins would result in the greatest overall good. It was preferable for one child to survive than
for both to pass away.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

1. Why is it harder to do the virtues than the vices?
- Humans tend to do what is more pleasurable (excess) for themselves whilst indirectly causing pain
(deficiency) to others. There is a reluctance to find the balance between their actions.
2. What are the limitations of Virtue Ethics?
– There is no definite answer to the right course of action in a moral dilemma for some virtues are not
concerned with distinguishing right and wrong only what characteristics one ought to possess.
– Virtues are susceptible to change.
– There is no definitive purpose as to what and where the end will be and a reason why virtues are being
developed.
1. What is the relation between virtue and reason?
– Virtue is a state of character concerned with choice, determined by a rational principle which means that

anybody who aspires to live a happy life must endeavor to live a life of contemplation, reflection, and
search for balance.

KEYS TO CORRECTION

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 CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING: IDENTIFICATION
1. Vice
2. Virtue
3. Virtue
4. Vice
5. Vice

RUBRICS
ESSAYS
Content is comprehensive, Content is somewhat Content is incomplete and
accurate, and credible. It comprehensive but appears inappropriate. It
demonstrates an in-depth disorganized. It demonstrates demonstrates a lack of
Content
reflection and analysis of the a general analysis and reflection and analysis of the
lesson. (3) minimal reflection of the lesson. (1)
lesson. (2)
There are no/few spelling There are some spelling or There are significant spelling
Mechanics
and/or punctuation errors. (2) punctuation errors. (1) and punctuation errors. (0)

CREATIVE OUTPUT
Output demonstrates the Output is factual but showed Output demonstrates no
learner’s own interpretation little interpretation from the interpretation and expression
and expression of the lesson, learners, and details from the learners, and details
Content
and shows appropriate details somewhat show the concepts has no connection with the
and concepts of the lesson. of the lesson. (2) concepts of the lesson. (1)
(3)
Output contains various visual Output contains visual aids There is very little evidence of
aids to display information in but distracts or hinders the creativity. There is not clear
Creativity multiple ways. Very details of the lesson. structure. It seems that texts
appropriate use of creative Appropriate use of creative and graphics were randomly
texts and graphics. (3) texts and graphics. (2) placed. (1)
Output is well organized, easy Output is satisfactorily Output is poorly organized
Clarity to understand, and easy to organized but difficult to and very distracting to read
read. (2) understand and read. (1) and understand. (0)
There are no/few spelling There are some spelling or There are significant spelling
Mechanics
and/or punctuation errors. (2) punctuation errors. (1) and punctuation errors. (0)

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