Virtue Ethics

Identify key terms: virtue, golden mean and eudaimonia. Describe Aristotle’s virtue theory.

Explain how virtue theory works and what it aims to achieve.

Compare virtue theory to the other normative ethical approaches.

“Call off Christmas!”Watch this clip from Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.

What is Robin Hood doing?

Describe what Robin Hood is doing that is good and what the sheriff is going bad.

Evaluate the claim that virtue is more important than obedience to the law.

He robs from the rich and gives to the poor

Defends the weakProvides for the hungryFights injusticeBreaks the lawSteals from other

Obeys the lawDeals with neighbouring governmentsTakes advantage of the poorSexual promiscuity and rape

Key Words

• Eudaimonia – Greek for the __________ __________

• Virtue – an attribute of a person __________ Eudaimonia

• Vice – an attribute of a person __________ to attain _________.

• Golden Mean – Aristotle said that __________ lay between two ________ this is the golden mean.

Examples of virtues and vices

Look at these personalities.

Identify as many as you can.

Describe their virtues or vices.

Match a virtue with a corresponding vice, e.g. courage-cowardice.

Aristotle’s golden mean

Sphere of action/ feeling

Deficiency 

When you have too

little

Mean 

The right balance

Excess 

When you have too much

Dealing with fear

Cowardice   Rashness

Dealing with

pleasure 

Temperance/

Moderation 

Look at Aristotle’s table of virtues and vices.

Find the missing virtues and vices.

Give examples of when you might display these virtues and vices.

Evaluate Aristotle. Is his theory always right?

Aristotle’s golden mean

Dealing with fear Deficiency Mean Excess

Dealing with pleasure

Cowardice Courage Rashness

Dealing with money

NumbnessTemperance/Moderation

Over-indulgence

Dealing with how you see yourself

Tight/ Meanness Sensibility Wasteful

Anger Self-deprecationConfidence/ Proper

self-loveVanity

Self-expression Being a wimpPatience/Good

temperHot temperedness

Conversation Understatement Truthfulness BoastfulnessSocial Conduct Boorishness Wittiness Buffoonery

Shame Bad humour, irritability Friendliness Over-the-top praiseHow you see

othersShamelessness Modesty Shyness

Find the virtue and the viceChoose a movie/book

Identify the main hero and the main villain.

Describe the virtues and vices of these protagonists.

Explain what characteristics and ideas the film promotes.

What is virtue theory?• Virtue theory is a normative ethical

approach that focusses on how to be a good person and live the “good life”.

• While Kantian ethics is action-centred and Utilitarianism is consequentialist, virtue theory is agent-centred.

• It doesn’t matter what actions I perform, it matters what person I am.

Ethical TheoryAgent ConsequenceAction

Ethical TheoryAgent ConsequenceAction

Virtue Ethics Deontological Ethics, e.g. the

Commandments, Kantian Ethics etc.

Teleological Ethics, e.g. Utilitarianism,

Situation Ethics etc.

Ethical TheoryAgent ConsequenceAction

Is the Agent “good”?

Does the agent do what makes him/her a “good” person?

Don’t judge the actions, judge the agent.

The end justifies the means.

All’s well that ends well.

If the consequences are good, then it justifies the actions taken.

It doesn’t matter what the consequences are.

Is the action a morally good action?

Some things are absolutely right/wrong

Aristotle quote

• We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

Read the quote from Aristotle.

What does it mean?

Explain how it links to Aristotle’s Virtue Theory.

Evaluate the claim that a good person need not worry about what he does so much as what he is.