Aristotle is very persuasive in his discussion of virtue and the excellences. He mainly argues that virtue is, in a moral sense, a product of habit. Intellectual excellence, on the other hand, is derived mainly from teaching. According to Aristotle, "Neither by nature, then, nor contrary to nature do excellences arise in us; rather we are adapted by nature to receive them, and are made perfect by habit." Moral virtue is then a product of nature, or habit.
All actions are related to an underlying principle. Kantian thought supports the idea that the actions are justified by a set of rules outlined in Kantianism. Utilitarianism is based on the idea of a greater good. Positive and negative consequences are quantified and the most positive consequence for the greatest amount of people is chosen, sometimes at the expense of others. For utilitarian school of thought, an individual strives to do the most good, even at the expense of the minority.
Aristole supported that justice is the high road to democracy. In addition, the second way is to seek the happiness for their citizens. Because democracy is based on good will and mutual understanding. The relation between democracy and happiness was based on mutual dependence. Aristotle thought that is the purpose of the whole life and happiness belongs to the human's mind.
He explained that everything has a purpose – “a good knife is one that cuts well, that is what it is designed to do”. Aristotle believed that it was universal and could be applied to all cultures, religions and genders. The Stoics were a group of Ancient Greek philosophers who further developed the concept of natural law. They stated that if we wanted to fulfil our purpose we must behave morally and “fit in with the overall plan of the universe”. The Roman lawyer Cicero also utilised the concept of natural law.
In one of the abstracts in Bentham’s Principles of Morality and Legislation, Bentham states that the judgement or criterion of good and evil is balanced between the happiness of individuals and the happiness of the community (Utilitarian Philosophy, 2010). On the other hand, consequentialism in utilitarianism is based on the fact that human beings are judged based on consequences. In other words, “an action must be judged for its consequences on the happiness of the largest number of people” (Utilitarian Philosophy, 2010). To be more specific, according to
PART A) Outline the key features of Natural Moral Law Natural Moral Law is a deontological ethical theory derived from the Greek word ‘deon’ meaning duty and therefore is concerned with the intent of the action rather than its consequences, as teleological theories do. It is accessible to all through either ‘natural order or understanding and following Gods final purpose’, (cited by Mel Thompson) by which God is viewed as the supreme regulator. The theory was espoused by Aristotle, who maintained that humans were created with the ability to reason, hence follow an intended telos (purpose). A key feature is that it is concerned with absolute morality as the rules must be adhered to ‘just as a fire burns here and in Persia’ – Aristotle. The idea is a pre-Christian idea, put forward by Aristotle who believed that each action should be followed in its aim to reach eudemonia, being a key feature of the theory and a state of human flourishing.
However, the categorical imperative represents an action as “objectively necessary in itself”[3], with no end in mind. While Kant bases morality on strictly categorical imperatives, Aristotle claims (in his Nicomachean Ethics) that the highest form of morality is found through actions which seek eudaimonia, or happiness; actions which fall under the hypothetical imperative. Kant’s categorical imperative is formulates in three different ways – the formula of universal law, the formula of the law of nature and the formula of the end in itself. The formula of universal law is based on two key concepts; universality (or the ability for one thing to apply to everyone) and “maxims”. Kant neglects to clearly define maxims, yet it is footnoted that maxims are “subjective principles of acting”[4].
Aristotle also suggests happiness conforms to goodness of virtue (Kucukuysal and Beyhan, 2011). To be happy and good, one must make the right choices. Virtue is taught and learned. The ability to define happiness and decide what is virtuous is an individual choice based upon life teachings and experience. In order to make someone else happy, you must be happy with yourself.
They also believe that a person's subjective view of the world is more important than objective reality. The humanistic perspective on personality deals exclusively with human behavior. Humanistic psychologists believe that human nature includes a natural drive towards personal growth, that we as humans have the ability to choose what they do regardless of environment, and that humans are pretty much conscious beings that are not controlled by unconscious needs and conflicts. Two major theorists associated with this theory of personal development that impacted humanism are Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow. Humanism places an emphasis on the assumption that all humans are inherently good in nature and possess free will.
He stated, “Man is the measure of all things”. Morality, Protagoras stated, is changeable and subject to our view of the world around us. Meanwhile, Aristotle is another philosopher that was a moral