“Outline Aristotle’s theory of Virtue Ethics” Virtue Ethics originates from the Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle who focused not on deontological values of actions being intrinsically right or wrong based on their intention, but on how to develop one’s character to meet the demands of what one would describe as virtuous. Central to the theory is the idea of practising qualities and virtues that are established as ‘good’. Virtue ethics is agent-centred as opposed to act-centred and Aristotle maintains that our final aim, as human beings, is to achieve ultimate happiness, which he calls eudaimonia and describes as human flourishing. The Greek word for virtue, arête, means excellence, and so a virtuous character is one with excellent qualities who continually and undeniably continue to make perfect moral decisions. A virtue is defined as a perfect quality that is habitually carried out by an individual which requires practise and dedication so that one may blossom into a virtuous character, “excellence is not an act but a habit.” For Aristotle, something is ‘good’ if it fulfils its purpose: a good knife is one this is sharps and cuts well.
This ethical theory aligns itself with a Christian worldview, arguing that an action is good only if the principle behind the action is moral law (Giersson and Holmgren, 2000). In other words, actions should only be done in accordance with God’s will. For instance, clearly stating how outliers are addressed when drawing conclusions based on the statistical analysis is ethical in that it is the right thing to do so that the probability of misinterpretation is minimized. Additionally, Kantian ethics also require autonomy, which is often required in relationship to dealing with clients and the subjects from whom data is collected (Tittle, 2000). Again, this ties back to the Christian worldview of loving ones neighbor.
The term “Machiavellian” or “Machiavellism” at times provokes recognition, while at other times creates controversy among politicians and historians concerned with a range of ethical, political, and philosophical issues. Particularly, studying Machiavelli’s philosophy goes beyond understanding his political stand; instead, this essay intends to focus on the beliefs from classical ethics, and the political philosophy of the sixteenth century. Indeed, Machiavelli seeks terms for deliberation that do not depend on custom or religion and that are adequate to the problems of politically unstable sixteenth century Italy and arguably, modern times. Considering other critiques about Machiavelli’s account of ‘inconsistent’ leadership, there is a challenge to the venture of political philosophy that demands consideration in response. Although Machiavelli’s political philosophy is received as cynical and unethical, the purpose of this work is to demonstrate that Machiavelli’s focus is not to provoke controversy or to imply cruelty as a way to conquer the state.
English Revision Task How have the texts studied in this elective challenged your ways of thinking about "People and Politics"? People and politics are able to represent their own ideas and perspectives by utilising different techniques to bring forward a stronger influence and convey meaning. The multiple methods and procedures in which to form representation has challenged my ways of thinking about 'People and Politics'. W.H. Auden utilises satire to communicate the negative perspective of dictators in "Epitaph of a Tyrant" (1939).
Zimbardo notes “In my own work, I wanted to explore the fictional notation from William Golding’s Lord of the Flies about the power of anonymity to unleash violent behavior” (302). The purpose in the article is to teach the audience or people in general what power in any situation dealing with authority
It moves beyond the scope of one's own interests and takes into account the interests of others. In this essay I will examine the Ethical Theory of Utility, its background and its influence upon society to determine if Utilitarianism can be expressed in the phrase “ The greatest good for the greatest number.” U·til·i·tar·i·an·ism 1 [Columbia Encyclopedia] Noun: • The doctrine that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a majority. • The doctrine that an action is right insofar as it promotes happiness, and that the greatest happiness of the greatest number should be... Background Jeremy Bentham was the father of Utilitarianism, he was of the left liberal view, influenced by the French revolution and by many enlightenment thinkers, especially empiricists such as John Locke and David Hume.
Utilitarianism is consequentalist ethical theory. When an action is judged entirely on the utility. So an action would be determined on the outcome and the consequences. In utilitarianism the utility of an action is decided on how much pleasure and happiness is gained from it, so it is about maximising happiness as much as possible rather than gaining pain and sadness. The two most well known utilitarian’s are Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.
Aristotle advanced the philosophy of ethics, where he demonstrated that it is a means of achieving an end to happiness. However, happiness means many things to different people. To Aristotle, the most adequate way to pursue happiness is through the virtue of excellence. In his writings, Aristotle connected his therory of virtue to economics, and leadership as well. It is a matter of connecting ones personal ethics to that of ones business ethics., simply because Aristotle made no disticntion between ethics and politics.
He clarifies it is dictator on the grounds that it is a mix of topics of conventional Toryism, for example, obligation, power, principles, along with country, with the forceful subjects of neo-progressivism, for example, aggressiveness, independence, and hostile to statism. He guarantees it is additionally populism because it prepared populist advances in opposition to high pay charges, wellbeing advantage dependents, along with deprived community administrations as though they were 'the foe of the general population' following the collapse of Keynesian political financial system. He observes this like a hegemonic venture – intentional, rational social building began by means of the economy, and then proceeded onward to other old foundations set up by the post-war
Christian love essentially unites persons with the ontological good – originated from God – and transforms the self to be concerned both for oneself and the good of others on the level of identity. This article presents a more subtle critical analysis of self-interest – an sich a-moral - while it proposes self-love not only as a necessary condition to undertake genuine morality but also as a guarantee for the moderation of self-interest. KEY WORDS: Agape, love, self, self-interest, selfishness, self-love. Introduction In most ethical discourses, one may observe confusion between an act of selfishness, self-interest, and self-love. Some seem to intentionally mystify their meaning while others inadvertently employ them interchangeably to explain one’s act in relation to oneself.