Virtue Ethics

UNIT III
Learning Objectives

01 Articulate what virtue ethics is;

02 Critique Virtue ethics; and

03 Make use of virtue ethics

Virtue Ethics
is a moral structure wherein hypotheses
underline the purpose and significance of
one's character and virtue so as to evaluate
the integrity of their actions. It focuses on the
improvement of an individual's general
righteous character or greatness.

(Kraut, R, 2018)
“A virtuous individual is the one
who is routinely checking his
conduct and correcting them
accurately.”
—Aristotle
Aristotle or Aristoteles

Lived in Greece sometime in 384 and

322 BCE.

He contemplated reasoning under

Plato in the Academy and built The
Lyceum, his own school.

He is considered as perhaps the best

philosopher in old Philosophy.
Aristotle’s Theory of
Ethics
Everything that a man has a capacity or
action, the great and the well is thought
to live in the capacity.

EXCELLENCE + CHARACTER
 Teleology
ethical theory that considers reason to be
the "end" and one's obligation and good
commitment depend on what is the
acceptable or attractive result.

Known to be a consequentialist theory.

Telos: The Function Argument

Intellectual Virtue
The need to realize one's actual function to
have the option to accomplish goodness or
greatness.
Aristotle accepted that all things have purposes, objectives,
or ends which must be accomplished to its benefit.
 Telos: The Golden mean

in Nicomachean Ethics
Aristotle states that virtue is a mean. It
is a condition of clarification and
apprehension from pain and pleasure.

An excellent character is the one that

is continually and effectively cleaning
up the soul from closing out or
slaving from pain and pleasure.
Similar Perspectives on Men's Constant Propensities
and Their Classes under the Rule of Golden Mean

Deficiency Virtue Deficiency

Prudence Temperance Self-indulgence
Spineless Good Temper Irascibility
Self-depression Honesty Boastfulness
Boorishness Wittiness Buffoonery
Surliness Friendliness Obsequiousness
Cowardice Courage Rashness/Recklessness
Stinginess/Miserliness Generosity/Magnificence Extravagance

Sloth Ambition Greed

Humility Modesty Loquacity/Pride
Moroseness Good humor Absurdity
 “It is hard to manage factious
individuals while you'll never
become more acquainted with the
genuine individual behind
charmed man.”
—Sachs, 2002
St. Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas was born in Roccasecca,
Italy between 1224 and 1226.

At the point when he kicked the bucket, he

was consecrated as the benefactor holy
person of educators, hence as a rule being
designated "The Universal Teacher."

His two notable works of art are Summa

Theologiae and Summa Contra Gentiles.
The two works of Aquinas on his
comprehension of the Latin philosophy.
Four Types of Law by Aquinas

03
Eternal law Human Law
01 Indistinguishable from the law that is formulated by a
brain of God. . It is everlasting human explanation as indicated
however confused by the by geological, social, and
human brain. historical conditions.

02
Natural Law
Divine Law
law that originated from
04 law that administers
everything in nature and
the disclosure of God to
the establishment of
people written in the Old
pragmatic thinking
and New Testaments
human law.
 Cardinal Virtues
PRUDENCE COURAGE
Reasonability is the
righteousness of scholarly
fitness or capacity to do
01 03
limiting feelings of
trepidation while figuring out
how to bear preposterous
certain things mentally and hunger for wild activities
sanely

TEMPERANCE
02 04
JUSTICE
centered on going people to
It guides us to follow a control productive members of
like balance, accommodation, society. It incorporates the
quietude, forbearance.. principles of Equity.
 Justice
is the ethicalness that administers our
connection with others and the state. This
righteousness administers our relationship
with others not at all like different
excellences referenced.
Two Types of Justice

01 02

COMMUTATIVE DISTRIBUTIVE
justice between the aggregate
common individual activities of the
residents. individuals from the
state.
Immanuel Kant

a German Philosopher (1724-1804)

whose way of thinking on the
goodwill and categorical
imperative is established in utilizing
an individual's capacity to reason
Kant’s way of thinking addresses the
inquiries:
 What would i be able to know? The heavenly confidence
which isolates what we can experience versus what we
can't comprehend; we can just know about things we can
understand;

 What would it be a good idea for me to do? Which

intends to act sanely in agreement to an all-inclusive
good law;

 What may I trust? That spirits are godlike, there is God

and that world is planned as per standards of equity.
“Quality of people doesn't really
originate from an incomparable
power of God. So as to decide
directly from wrong, we need to
utilize reason. “
—Kant
 Maxim
serves as a premise or rule on how and why
we act. It is like an unwritten guideline book
which humans attribute to.

These are two sorts of saying:

Abstract or the theoretical goal. This typically benefits an individual.

Target or the absolute objective. This depends on the reason.
Duty and Goodwill
Duty is an objective maxim “irrespective of all objects
desire.” This obligation of man is to follow the
unmitigated goal (target adage). The inability to do
so implies that one is silly, represents his/her own
pleasure, and abuses reason.
Imperative
an order

01
HYPOTHETICAL IMPERATIVES
are restrictive orders dependent
on your applicable want.

02
CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVE
is an all-inclusive moral guideline
that is unqualified, objective, and
soundly essential.
Deontological Moral
Speculation
(deon is Greek for obligation), which says that
how we judge our exercises as either right or
wrong isn't dependent upon the outcomes,
anyway on whether our exercises fulfill our
commitment.
Morality and the Categorical
Imperative
“moral law is a truth of reason, and hence that
all rational creatures are bound by the same
moral law”- Kant

Categorical Imperative serves as the basis and

justification of morality because morality
governs us, and we cannot excuse ourselves
from it. Thus, violating categorical imperative
results in immoral actions.
The Moral Worth
of a Person
According to Kant, the
moral worth is evaluated
through people, and not
actions (a person is
morally worth vs lacks
moral worth).
Kant and Rights Theorists:
Different Kinds of Rights
Understanding the relationship between legal rights and
moral rights is key to comprehending rights theories.
 Rights
Rights are privileges (not) to play out specific
activities, or not to be in sure states, or
qualifications that other (not) play out specific
activities or not be in sure states.
-Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2016)
 Human Rights
“Fundamental good ensure that individuals in
all nations and societies supposedly have
basically on the grounds that they are
individuals.”
-Nickel, 1992
Rights MORAL RIGHTS

01
are rights that are granted to any human
simply because they are human. Everyone
has unalienable access to moral rights. The
existence and validity of a moral right do
not depend on the law.

Moral rights represent the natural law.

Moral rights are grounded in moral
reasons. Moral rights are not enforceable
by law.

EXAMPLE: Right to Privacy

Rights
02
LEGAL RIGHTS
are granted to people under a legal
system (authority, government). Legal
rights are mandated by the laws of the
country the individual is subjected to. Legal
rights represent positive law.

Legal rights derive from the laws of

society. They can be found in legal codes.
Legal rights are enforceable by law which
recognizes and protects it.

EXAMPLE: Right to Education

 Right Theories
Legal Positivism
argue that only rights that exist are legal
rights that exist in the legal system.
Interest Theory
Anyone can have (legal or
moral) interest-based rights Human Rights Doctrine
given that the interests of that Relies on the philosophical
person have “sufficient reasons” claim that moral order exists
to hold someone else and applies to everyone,
accountable for the fulfillment everywhere, anytime, or the
of these interests.
moral universalism.

Will Theory Natural Law

freedom is the most Believes that humans have the
basic right right to the law simply because
they do. Timeless and immutable,
universal, and inalienable.
 Law
Law is power. It is an instrument of
equity that holds together the
general public.
Decent Law
A decent law is key for the presence
of a free and well-working society. It
secures the life, property, and
freedom of each human.
Terrible Law
Law can likewise be exploited by the
individuals who need to live to the
detriment of others, in this manner
bringing treachery.
 "When law and ethical quality
negate one another, the resident
has the brutal option of either
losing his ethical sense or losing
his regard for the law."
—Frederic Bastiat
Utilitarianism
believes in the principle that
happiness is an intrinsic value that
every human aspire for, therefore
it drives our morality.
Principles of Utilitarianism
BASIC PRINCIPLE
more attention on the results
or consequences rather than
the intent and behavior (a
form of consequentialism).
Principles of Utilitarianism
MAIN PRINCIPLE
Do what produces the best consequences.
Utilitarianism believes that morality aims to
make life better by increasing happiness and
reducing suffering.

Good consequences equal good results.

Happiness is equal to pleasure or the
absence of pain. Unhappiness is equal to
pain or the absence of pleasure.
Elements of Utilitarianism
VALUE THEORY
means that the only thing that is
intrinsically valuable is happiness or
the happiness of suffering.

THEORY OF RIGHT ACTION

is the one that produces the most
valuable or the most expected
value.
Framework of Utilitarianism
ACT UTILITARIANISM
 means choosing the action that
produces the greatest good for
the greatest number;

 Evaluates individual action;

 Pain is pain regardless of whose

experiences it is.
Framework of Utilitarianism
RULE UTILITARIANISM
• connotes that we ought to act according
to moral rules which would produce more
utility compared to other moral rules;

• Evaluates the moral rules then evaluates

individual actions if they followed the rule
that would produce more utility;

• Consider cues that will maximize utility for

the majority of the time.
Critiques of Utilitarianism
01
There are situations where we happen to
be in. If there are instances where we can make
the situation better, we must, even if it means
that we must make a little sacrifice. (If you sit
and watch something bad happen and refuse
to get involved, you are still guilty of the crime).
Critiques of Utilitarianism
02
For the value theory, happiness should not
be the only available thing in our life. Well-
being should also be considered valuable. G.E.
Moore also accounts for friendship,
knowledge, and the experience of beauty as
intrinsically valuable in one’s life, apart from
happiness.
Critiques of Utilitarianism
03
For the theory of right action, since it
takes into consideration the act that will cause
more happiness, the alternative is considered
less valuable, what is less valuable is transitive.
People have a right not to have their interest
sacrificed for the greater good.
Critiques of Utilitarianism
04
The prevention of suffering should be
prioritized over the increase in happiness.
Modern utilitarianists addressed this and
labeled it as “negative” utilitarianism.
Critiques of Utilitarianism
05
Utilitarianism focuses on the total
amount of good (pleasure/happiness)
produced not on how it is distributed
across people.
Critiques of Utilitarianism
06
The Diminishing Margin Utility of Wealth –
the more resources we have, the less impact
it gives. For example, if a poor man receives
1000 pesos, it will make him very happy. If a
rich businessman, receives 1000 pesos it will
have less impact on him.
Impacts of Utilitarianism

IMPACT ON LAW
The principles of utilitarianism
became useful in terms of
punishment for an individual which
aims to separate him from society
or reform him. This accounts for
the greater good of most people if
the criminal is put away.
 Impacts of Utilitarianism
IMPACT ON POLTICS
Utilitarianism is useful in asserting the best
action for a society based on the utility of
an individual and the authority of the
government.

It takes into consideration the importance

of assessment of consequences which
requires evidence.

Utilitarianism advocates for a system where

the interest of the larger society matches
the government’s intent.

It gives power to individuals to judge the

best consequence for him/herself.
Impacts of Utilitarianism

IMPACT ON ECONOMICS
In the theory of economic value, the
cost of labor in production is paid more
attention compared to the commodity;
Welfare economics; In terms of policies,
early utilitarians believe that the
economy could prosper on its own.

Modern utilitarians believe that

government intervention is important to
ensure further good (that no abuses are
committed).
Thank You !