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VIRTUE ETHICS - Coggle Diagram
VIRTUE ETHICS
the virtues
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moral virtues are formed by habit, particularly through practical wisdom
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the rational part has two functions
- the exercise of reason for its own sake
- the control of the irrational part
Courage, Temperance, Justice, Friendship
justice is an altruistic virtue, that considers the good of others as an end in themselves
function argument
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Aristotle- souls are the forms or blueprints of the body and there is a hierarchy of souls. The function of the soul depends on its nature, and for humans this is to reason well. Reasoning well means exercising virtue (moral excellence)
Aristotle makes a link between function and goodness. The greek for function is ergon, meaning work or accomplishment
Aristotle thinks that our function depends on the nature of the soul, by doing the work/activity that is characteristic of each living thing
criticisms
this is a weak argument from analogy. Aristotle uses a small number of random things which have a function. How is a human being to be compared with the occupations we have or the parts of our body
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the good life
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- happiness must be an activity that conforms to the highest virtue, the best thing in us
- our intelligence is the best thing in us, since it helps us discover what the world is really like, through contemplation - pure reasoning
- contemplation is done for its own sake, and not for anything else. It has intrinsic value
- it is in effect contemplation of the divine, so it must be the greatest thing we can do
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the doctrine of the mean
- this is the median mean, relative to each individual
- it is defined by the phronimos (man of practical wisdom)
- it lies between excess and deficiency
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"the moral virtues are engendered by us neither by nor contrary to nature; we are constituted by nature to receive them, but their full development in us is due to habit"