Virtue ethics is agent-centred ethics rather than act-centred. Aristotle was an Ancient Greek philosopher and believed that everyone wants to live a full and happy life, this is known as eudaimonia. Eudaimonia is the idea of ideal happiness and it is the highest good, because we desire it for its own sake and not as a means to an end. In his book, Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle stated that we want to be good, and there is a difference to things that are good as means, and things that are good as ends. A good life is something inherently worth having, unlike justice which is worth having because it leads to a good life.
Chapter two of Nicomachean Ethics deals with virtue, most importantly, its golden mean—the amount that which the virtue is secreted neither in excess nor in deficiency. For example, courage is a mean between its deficiency of rashness and the excess of cowardice. Another example can be justice, its deficiency being giving too little and its excess being giving too much. As such, Aristotle argues that virtue cannot be good nor can be virtue in itself unless it completes the criteria of achieving the golden mean. At first glance, this argument seems to be inevitable, as it seems that moderation to everything is a necessity.
Next on the basis of James Rachel’s argument against ethical egoism will try to answer the question posed. This essay will also discuss the common sense view is the most appropriate way to act in most of the cases. Ethical Egoism is a normative theory, a theory which states how one should behave. It states that promotion of one’s own good is in accordance with morality. In other way we can state that it is always moral to promote self-interest and it is not moral not to promote it.
Socrates believed that people should evaluate their lives and become ethically responsible. He often considered people should not seek money or power but to become morale correct in society. One of Machiavelli’s famous quote: “It is better to be feared than loved.” He believed that leaders should do anything necessary to gain and maintain power. How can two people with opposite moral have the same ethical beliefs? Socrates and Machiavelli were both humanist philosophers.
Aristotle develops this and distinguishes between things that are good as means (for the sake of something else) and things that are good as ends (for their own sake only). Aristotle believes that our end or telos is to achieve eudaimonia (flourishing in society). Aristotle discusses the traits or virtues one who achieves eudaimonia would have and that a good human life is characterised by the virtues. Central to Aristotle’s idea is that humans should live in harmony with each other, as we are not just rational beings but also social beings. Aristotle saw two types of virtues: intellectual and moral virtues.
He is not saying to live an isolated life but to be self-sufficient within a community. Aristotle links happiness and virtue. Aristotle says, “Since happiness is a certain sort of activity of the soul in accord with complete virtue.” (Hackett 16). Aristotle claims that in order for us to achieve happiness is through a good moral character. One virtue of character Aristotle speaks about is
Aristotle’s principles of virtue ethics are both multi-faceted and complex, with depth and intrigue culminating in what came to be known as Aristotle’s virtue ethics. Virtue Ethics centres on the character of the person making the moral decision rather than on the action itself. Different forms of Virtue Ethics arise from differences of opinion about how a moral character is to be achieved, yet Virtue Ethics aims to provide an alternative approach to morality that enables people to achieve their potential as human beings and not to have to focus solely on the rightness and wrongness of their actions. Instead it provides a way to develop character and flourish as a person, and this achieved without persistent rule- following, but rather by pursuing just actions that encourage character development which makes us just people. According to James F Keenan “being virtuous is more than having a particular habit of acting, e.g.
c. In Utilitarianism Theory, where the focus is on the outcome of action that gives the greatest benefit (or least harm) for everyone is the ethical action, it would most probably consider the acts of the whistleblower as ethically upright because the actions gives the greatest benefit to the public and the society as a whole. So it really depends on which normative theory the person/s believe in viewing what is morally ethical or not. There are other theories of ethics that may define the behaviour of a person in forming an opinion regarding the situation or on how to react on whistleblowing issues. As to Personal Characteristics a person
From this mastery, Aristotle contends, a man will derive pleasure. This mastery does not only benefit the individual, but will also benefit society, and therefore is morally virtuous. In contrast, Epicurus’ ideals promote the pursuit of pleasure whether knowledge is attained or not. This philosophy is potentially hazardous because the individual’s pursuit of pleasure can result in harm to himself and his surroundings, classifying it as morally unsound. Epicurus fails to define the boundaries of moral virtue, merely stating there could be harmful consequences without specific definition, Epicurus ultimately fails to develop a strong moral program.
This paper will argue Plato and Aristotle's beliefs on the theory of Moral Education which is how we learn to become good, moral, virtuous people. It will defend Aristotle’s theory of Habit which basically states that things are learned through habit and practice vs. Plato’s theory of recollection which states that all knowledge that has ever been known and will ever be known is already preexistent in our memory. Aristotle’s theory of habit can be supported best because he believes that what we need in order to be mentally and physically well is the proper appreciation of the goods of life such as virtue, friendship, wealth, happiness etc. Yet in order to acquire and understand those goods, it is required that we are shown how to by the way we are raised, our habits and most of all through practice. Plato's theory of recollection also known as the anamnesis states that knowledge is previously known before birth and will always be known, opposed to being taught and learned.