Virtue ethics Essay Example for Free

equity moral philosophy Es scanCharacter-based ethicsA veracious act is the action a harmless somebody would do in the same circumstances. Virtue ethics is psyche rather than action based it looks at the virtuousness or moral character of the someone carrying break an action, rather than at ethical duties and rules, or the consequences of particular(prenominal) actions.Virtue ethics not unless deals with the rightness or wrongness of individual actions, it provides guidance as to the sort of characteristics and behaviours a good psyche will seek to achieve. In that way, virtue ethics is concerned with the whole of a souls life, rather than particular episodes or actions.A good person is someone who lives virtuously who possesses and lives the virtues. Its a useful theory since forgiving beings are often more interested in assessing the character of another person than they are in assessing the goodness or badness of a particular action.This suggests that the way to build a good clubhouse is to help its members to be good people, rather than to use laws and punishments to prevent or deter bad actions. scarcely it wouldnt be helpful if a person had to be a saint to count as virtuous. For virtue theory to be really useful it needs to suggest only a minimum portion of characteristics that a person needs to possess in order to be regarded as virtuous.being virtuous is more than having a particular habit of acting, e.g. generosity. Rather, it core having a fundamental set of related virtues that enable a person to live and act morally well. James F Keenan, Proposing Cardinal Virtues, Theological Studies, 1995 PrinciplesVirtue ethics teachesAn action is only right if it is an action that a virtuous person would carry out in the same circumstances. A virtuous person is a person who acts virtuouslyA person acts virtuously if they possess and live the virtues A virtue is a moral characteristic that a person needs to live well. Most virtue theorists w ould also insist that the virtuous person is one who acts in a virtuous way as the result of rational thought (rather than, say, instinct).The leash questionsThe modern philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre proposed three questions as being at the heart of moral thinkingWho am I?Who ought I to pass away?How ought I to get there?Lists of the virtuesWhat would a virtuous person do? Most virtue theorists say that there is a common set of virtues that all human beings would benefit from, rather than diametric sets for different sorts of people, and that these virtues are natural to mature human beings even if they are hard to necessitate.This poses a problem, since lists of virtues from different quantify in history and different societies show significant differences.The traditional list of cardinal virtues wasPrudence legal expertFortitude / BraveryTemperanceThe modern theologian James F Keenan suggestsJusticeJustice requires us to treat all human beings equally and impartially.Fidelit yFidelity requires that we treat people closer to us with special care.Self-careWe each have a unique responsibility to care for ourselves, affectively, mentally, physically, and spiritually.PrudenceThe prudent person must always consider Justice, Fidelity and Self-care. The prudent person must always look for opportunities to acquire more of the other three virtues Good points of virtue ethicsIt centres ethics on the person and what it means to be human It includes the whole of a persons lifeBad points of virtue ethicsit doesnt provide cash in ones chips guidance on what to do in moral dilemmas although it does provide world-wide guidance on how to be a good person presumably a totally virtuous person would know what to do and we could consider them a suitable role model to guide us there is no general agreement on what the virtues areand it may be that any list of virtues will be carnal knowledge to the culture in which it is being drawn up.