Virtue Ethics

Summary so far….
 No agreement on definition of
‘good’ within Normative Ethics
Emphasis on Being and not
Doing
Aristotle in Nichomachean Ethics states
that the Human end or telos is to
achieve Eudaimonia or happiness
 Eudaimonia is the result of acting in a
clear minded way, rather than being at
the mercy of our various emotions and
desires.
Eudaimonia is achieved by having
self discipline and control over
ones life
Not by associating happiness with
pleasure seeking
Indulgence leads to unhappiness
In order to flourish humans need to
‘live the best life someone can’

Alisdair McIntyre describes it as ‘the

state of being well and doing well in
being well’.
Our virtues must work together like
the finely tuned engine of a car
 Using your notes on p6 answer
these questions
• Why did Aristotle believe rational choices to be
uniquely human and necessary?
• Explain Aristotle’s idea of acting in the most
appropriate way.
• What is Aristotle’s idea of ‘practical wisdom’?
• Explain Aristotle’s doctrine of the mean.
• What is the link between action and aptitude?
• List the moral virtues and their extremes.
 Alasdair MacIntyre
British Philosopher born 1929-
He re-examined the work of Aristotle and was
really impressed with what he found and really
alarmed at the fact this kind of approach to
morality had been ignored and overlooked by
western philosophy.

He set about developing a virtue theory for

modern readers. In his influential book ‘After
Virtue’ (1981) he argued that we live today in
ethical confusion a type of moral vacuum where
to use moral language such as good, bad, right
and wrong no longer makes any sense.
He urges people to consider why it is that human beings seem
utterly incapable of coming to enough basic agreement in
matters of ethics to enable us to deal with the moral chaos that
surrounds us. MacIntyre argues forcibly that society needs to
reassert Aristotle’s moral and intellectual virtues in society ie in
medicine, education, politics and business.

Here is an
example of the
moral chaos that
surrounds us…..
 MacIntyre goes on to
identify some archetypal
characters that have
evolved in a society
lacking virtue…
 The Bureaucratic Managers
• Political Bureaucrats
• Spin merchants
• Media Moghuls
• Directors of Multinationals
• Traders and investors
People whose expertise is efficient management
with no moral strings attached. Profit not
principle. These are dominant people in the
modern world and are morally neutral.
 The Rich Aesthetes
• These pursue greater and ‘more exciting’
pleasures. The image of the ageing rock
star fits the bill. In the public eye of a
celebrity obsessed culture lacking virtue
and meaning.
 The Therapists
• These people keep the whole show on the
road, charging the rich huge amounts of
money to listen to their neurotic values
(diminished and self justifying existences)
meaningless echoes of their meaningless
lives. The society we have created
teaches us to value others less and
ourselves more.