Aristotle's virtue ethics

• Summary of Aristotle Virtue Theory

  Aristotle would define good actions as actions that are done by good people.

  
  

  • Eudaimonia = the good life for human beings
  • The good life for a human being must consist of something unique to human beings
  • reason is their unique characteristic activity (ergon)
  • The good life (eudaimonia) is one full of actions chosen according to reason
  • Virtues are character traits that enable us to act according to reason
  • The virtue is the middle point between a vice of deficiency and a vice of excess
  • Virtues are developed through habit and training
• What does Eudaimonia translate to

  "human flourishing"
• Points of eudaimonia

  • We don't use eudaimonia as a means to an end, it is the final end
  • You can't have it in one day
  • Eudaimonia is a eudaimons whole life and more. It's not erased by a couple of bad things
• What is Ergon

  function/characteristic activity of a thing (knifes ergon is to cut things)
• What is Arete


  Property/ virtue that enables a thing to achieve its ergon (sharpness of a knife)
• What does eudaimonia need and what is it

  • Eudaimonia must consist of something unique to humans.
  • humans ergon is to use reason. This makes us unique from all other things in the world.
  • Aristotle claims that all humans choose their actions according to reason (good/bad). So eudaimonia is the good life full of actions based off good reason
• What are virtues


  • Virtues are character traits that enable us to choose our actions according to good reasoning.
  • So same as a knife has the arete of sharpness, a human has the arete of virtues to be able to achieve the ergon of eudaimonia
  • An example of a virtue is courage
• What is The Doctrine of The Mean

  • Doctrine of the mean tells us more about what virtuous character traits are.
  • Doctrine of the mean explains that virtues are in between the two vices (vices of excess and vice of deficiency)
• Example of Vice of Deficiency

  • Cowardice / Stinginess / Shy are vice's of deficiency
• What makes a person virtuous


  • Someone who's character is able to dispose of extreme emotions when it is appropriate to do so
  • Stay in the mean of both vices
• The Skill Analogy


  Acquiring virtues is the same to acquiring skills, you don't know how to play the piano, you learn. similar with virtues
• Phronesis


  • Practical Wisdom
  • Knowing what virtue is required for each situation. It's being able to correctly apply virtues in the right scenario. e.g you can tell a joke whilst out with friends but not at a funeral
• Moral responsibility (voluntary or involuntary)

  • Aristotle says we should only praise actions that are done voluntarily.
  • Or you can't criticise someone for acting unvirtuously if their actions were done involuntarily.
  • Aristotle says a person is only responsible for their voluntary actions
• Problem 1 for Aristotle: No Clear Guidance. 


  • There's no clear guidance for The Doctrine of the Mean.
  • e.g. Aristotle would say its okay to be angry sometimes but when? When is it virtuous to do this? How angry can you get before it crosses over to vice of excess.
  • Kant has the categorical imperative, utilitarianism has felific calculus but Aristotle has nothing
• Possible response to problem 1 : No Clear Guidance

  • Aristotle could reply that virtue theory was never intended to provide a set of rules, rather a rough guidance.
  • Life is complicated and its difficult to create a set of rules for it.
• Problem 2 for Aristotle : Circularity

  • Aristotle can be interpreted as defining virtuous acts and virtuous people in terms of each other.
  • Basically saying, a virtuous act is something done by a virtuous person, and a virtuous person is someone who does virtuous acts
• Problem 3 for Aristotle : Competing Virtues

  • Virtues may conflict for example showing mercy and justice as a judge.
  • As a judge you would have to choose between the virtue of mercy or of justice. If you choose one between the two, you will somehow end up being unvirtuous
• Response to problem 3 : competing virtues

  • There wouldn't be an issue with competing virtues if you have properly acquired phronesis.
  • Aristotle also says virtues are not rigid like Kant and can be used in certain amounts.
• Problem 5 for Aristotle : Difference between Eudaimonia and Moral good


  • There is a difference between a good life for me (eudaimonia) and a moral good life.
  • We gain a strong intuition that the selfless nurse is moral however she did not achieve "Eudaimonia".
  • This difference clearly suggests Aristotle has not successfully defined Eudaimonia
• Possible response to problem 5 : Eudaimonia and Morally good life

  • Aristotle would again say that he was not concerned with rigidly defining morality.
  • Rather he is concerned with the good life in the broad sense.
  • The nurse definitely lived a part of eudaimonia by helping others but did not achieve it fully. Therefore the nurses life was a necessary but not sufficient for eudaimonia
• What question does Aristotle answer instead of "what should i do?" like Kant and Utilitarianism

  "What sort of person should I be?" (Agent-centred)

  • Instead of defining a good person as someone who does good actions, Aristotle would define good actions as those done by good people
• Brief summary of Aristotle's main points

  • Eudaimonia = good life for human beings
  • The good life for a human being must consist of something unique to human beings
  • Human beings are rational animals, and reason is their unique characteristic activity (ergon)
  • The good life (Eudaimonia) is one ful of actions chosen according to reason
  • Virtues are charecter traits that enable us to act according to reason
  • The virtue is the middle point between a vice of deficiency and excess
  • Virtues are developed through habit and training
• Give me an example of Vice of Excess

  • Recklessness / Shamelessness / Self indulgence are vice of excess
• What are the two types of involuntary actions according to Aristotle

  • Compulsion (i.e. involuntary): being forced to do something you don't want to do
  • Ignorance (i.e. non-voluntary): doing something you don't want to do by accident - e.g. slipping on a banana skin and spilling a drink on someone
• Problem 4 for Aristotle: Virtues don't always contribute to Eudaimonia

  • Aristotle characterises virtues as character traits that enable us to act well and achieve eudaimonia
  • However we can reject this by coming up with traits that are virtues but don't contribute to a good life
  • Imagine a nurse who spends her entire life saving lives in a remote country. She doesn't enjoy her job but compassion and care virtues motivate her to cntinue doing it
• What's the other way round of virtues don't always contribute to Eudaimonia

  • People who are selfish and self interested may be more happier and achieve more flourishing lives
  • But being selfish and self interested are vices