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Modern Virtues - Coggle Diagram
Modern Virtues
Stanley Hauerwas
places importance on studying the life of Jesus and mirroring his virtues through practice and habit.
strongly emphasises his belief that virtues, like skills, are acquired through practice within communities
maintains that the primary aim for people who wish to live morally should be to focus on the type of individual they want to be and the communities they want to belong to and not what they should do or how they should act.
puts much emphasis on the importance of studying and emulating the virtues displayed by Jesus. A Christian must keep their attention focused on Him in order to train themselves to live like him.
does not deny the importance of rules and obligations but he is sceptical abut any ethical system that gives them a central place.
A life imitating Christ, as advocated by Hauerwas, may have radical implications. He believes that people following this form of Christian discipleship may have to withdraw from positions of power and infuence, and in some cases withdraw from society in general to live in a counter-cultural community which practices the virtues of Jesus.
Alasdair Macintyre
The only hope in the current situation of moral chaos is turning back to a reformed version of Aristotle's Virtue Ethics. Despite the theories of people like Kant and Hume, the virtues have lived on. What's more society depends for its very existence upon people who exhibit the virtues.
Courage: courage is very important as it helps us face up to challenges that may come our way
Justice: this is very important virtue. Justice is fairness and it is the art of giving someone what they deserve or merit.
Temperance: this prevents us from acting rashly; losing our temper for example.
Wisdom: this is not knowledge:it is the ability to know how to act in the right way in particular situations
Industriousness: hard work
Hope: being optimistic
Patience
- The Bureaucratic Manager- attempts to live in the most efficient manner possible; has no problem putting profit before principles. 2. The Rich Aesthete- someone with a sincere appreciation of beauty. He claims that such people are the focus of media attention and reflect our 'celebrity obsessed culture lacking virtue and meaning' 3. The Therapist- keeps everything in society in place and charges the bureaucratic manger and the rich aesthete vast amount of money so that they fit to continue their pursuits.
Claimed that deontological and consequentialist approaches to morality had created a 'moral vacuum.' The number of conflicting theories in our society has led people to think that there are no moral truths. Argues that most people in today's society base their morals on emotivism.
Wrote a book called 'After Virtue' in which he argued that we should give serious consideration to Aristotle's theory.
Elizabeth Anscombe
She argues that deontological ethics had become outdated and lacked a sound foundation since many people were beginning to question the very existence of God. How can there be absolute laws if there is no absolute law-giver?
Argues that according to such theories a bad person could behave morally and true morality is about much more
The revival of Virtue Ethics in modern times is generally thought to have started with Elizabeth Anscombe essay article. She developed an approach to ethics based on the qualities or virtues that are associated with someone who lives a good life.
- An action is right if it is what a virtuous person would do in the circumstances. 2. A virtuous person will act according to the virtues as set out by Aristotle 3. A virtue is a quality or a characteristic a human being must have in order to flourish or live well.
Phillippa Foot
argued that by following a virtue approach to morality, our behavior or actions are not judged. She also claimed that if we are living according to the virtues then we 'will know and appreciate that there are particular and acceptable means of attaining certain goals, and unacceptable means of attaining the same goals.'
Argues that virtues and skills are different things. We may make a deliberate mistake with a skill, but not damage our characters or reputation.
attempted to show that modern virtue ethics can compete with deontological and utilitarian ethics. in 1978 she produced Virtues and Vice and Other Essays in Moral Philosophy. She argued that a blending of the Aristotelian and Christian philosophy found in Aquinas teaching was necessary for society