Quote: "Virtue ethics is an approach to ethics that treats virtue as central."
The moral theory that emphasizes the development of virtuous character traits in order to lead a good life.
Moral philosophy: The branch of philosophy that explores ethical principles and moral values, and how they inform decision-making.
Virtue ethics: An approach to ethics that emphasizes the importance of developing virtuous character traits and acting in accordance with them, rather than focusing on rules or consequences.
Virtue: A character trait that is morally commendable and promotes human flourishing, such as courage, integrity, compassion or wisdom.
Aristotelian ethics: A form of virtue ethics that derives from the writings of Aristotle and emphasizes the cultivation of practical wisdom and moral excellence.
Eudaimonia: A Greek term meaning human flourishing, happiness or well-being, which is the ultimate goal of Aristotelian ethics.
Agent-focused ethics: A type of ethical theory that focuses on the moral qualities of the agent or individual performing actions, rather than on the actions themselves or their consequences.
Consequentialism: A type of ethical theory that assesses the rightness or wrongness of actions according to their outcomes or consequences.
Deontology: An ethical theory that emphasizes the importance of following moral rules and duties, irrespective of their consequences.
The Trolley Problem: A thought experiment in ethics that involves a moral dilemma of choosing between two options that have potentially harmful outcomes, such as pulling a lever to divert a trolley and kill one person to save five, or doing nothing and letting five people die.
Moral luck: The idea that moral responsibility may depend on factors beyond an individual's control, such as luck, chance or circumstance.
Moral character: The set of moral attributes and dispositions that shape an individual's behavior, such as integrity, honesty, virtue and moral reasoning.
Moral education: The process of cultivating moral virtues and improving moral character through education, role modeling and practice.
Moral discretion: The ability to make morally sound decisions based on virtuous character traits and ethical principles, even in complex or challenging situations.
Moral reasoning: The process of evaluating ethical dilemmas and making moral judgments based on logic, reason and ethical principles.
Moral exemplars: Individuals who exemplify virtuous moral character in their actions and serve as role models for others to emulate.
Aristotelian Virtue Ethics: This is the original virtue ethics, as proposed by Aristotle, where virtues are seen as habits or dispositions of character that enable individuals to strive for excellence or "eudaimonia" (a state of being complete). Aristotle identified various virtues of character and intellect, such as courage, generosity, and wisdom. One of the key features of this type is teleology, the notion that ethics should be based on fulfilling a person's purpose or goal in life.
Eudaimonism: Essentially a revised version of Aristotelian virtue ethics, Eudaimonism attempts to develop the concept by grounding ethical behavior in happiness. This version understands a virtuous person to be someone who follows the long-term path to happiness through good actions.
Neo-Aristotelian Virtue Ethics: This variant tries to reconcile Aristotelian virtue ethics with modern approaches. According to various proponents, virtues can be conceived as traits of character that are context-independent and not limited to specific cultures. William Frankena is a philosopher who is associated with this variant, and his work elaborates on the topic.
Care Ethics: This version emphasizes the importance of our relationships and responsibilities to others. Carol Gilligan is known for promoting this type, which deviates from the usual focus on individualism and autonomy. The focus is more on developing a set of virtues that nurture relationships, intimacy individual well-being.
Ethical Pluralism: This could be argued a variation of virtue ethics as it emphasizes context and preference-sensitive virtues. It recognizes that there are different ways to approach ethical problems in different socio-cultural environments. An individual's sense of ethics is seen as shaped by the “moral sensitivities” that they learn to cultivate over time in navigating their particular context.
Confucian Virtue Ethics: As the name suggests, this variant comes from Confucianism. It focuses on the strong value placed on the concepts of li (propriety), ren (humanity), and xiao (filial piety). These are the traits that define and guide ethical behavior within most Confucian societies.
Quote: "Virtue ethics is usually contrasted with two other major approaches in ethics, consequentialism and deontology..."
Quote: "...which make the goodness of outcomes of an action (consequentialism) central."
Quote: "...and the concept of moral duty (deontology) central."
Quote: "While virtue ethics does not necessarily deny the importance to ethics of goodness of states of affairs or of moral duties..."
Quote: "it emphasizes virtue, and sometimes other concepts, like eudaimonia..."
Quote: "...other concepts, like eudaimonia, to an extent that other ethics theories do not."
Quote: "Virtue ethics is usually contrasted with two other major approaches in ethics..."
Quote: "...treats virtue as central."
Quote: "Virtue ethics does not necessarily deny the importance to ethics of goodness of states of affairs..."
Quote: "...it emphasizes virtue, and sometimes other concepts, like eudaimonia, to an extent that other ethics theories do not."
Quote: "Virtue ethics is usually contrasted with two other major approaches in ethics, consequentialism and deontology..."
Quote: "...treats virtue as central."
Quote: "...emphasis on virtue, and sometimes other concepts, like eudaimonia..."
Quote: "Virtue ethics is an approach to ethics..."
Quote: "While virtue ethics does not necessarily deny the importance... of moral duties..."
Quote: "...virtue, and sometimes other concepts, like eudaimonia..."
Quote: "...does not necessarily deny the importance to ethics of goodness of states of affairs..."
Quote: "Virtue ethics is usually contrasted with... consequentialism and deontology..."
Quote: "Virtue ethics is usually contrasted with two other major approaches in ethics..."