Are virtue ethics or ethics of character, superior to an ethics of conduct? If a person was on a boat with five other people, and that boat could only hold five people total or it would sink, what course of action should be taken, if any? In discussing normative ethics, three major approaches offer solutions to this question, consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics. A consequentialist might determine that one person would have to be sacrificed for the better of all. A deontologist may forbid this type of action because it violates the premise of do the right thing no matter the consequence. Someone in agreement with virtue ethics may show courage and heroism and sacrifice himself or herself to help the others. While conduct theories
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Following this period, virtue ethics were consistently questioned, compared, and contrasted with increasing disagreement from both the theories of deontology and utilitarianism. Neither, focused on the tradition that virtue ethics does, they consisted of the virtues themselves, motives and moral compass, moral education, moral knowledge, personal relationships, the notion of happiness, and lastly the concept of character. For example, one might ponder whom they want to be known as, and what standard do I go about achieving this goal. What will this person’s legacy be concerning which morals are embraced and lived by? According to Ronald Dworkin, a Jewish-American philosopher, ‘Plato and Aristotle have a better overall approach because they are looking at the big picture” (Dworkin, 2011), which Dworkin calls an interpretive account of …show more content…
In life, we have had different situations and circumstances thrown our way, I believe that all we can do is our best. To me, my best includes being a Good Samaritan and to uphold the truth. For example, a virtuous person is someone who stumbles across many situations in a lifetime and chooses to do the right thing, regardless of the outcome. For an individual with virtue ethics the natural instinct is to help without a need for emotional, monetary or status gain. Our textbook states,” In an ethics of virtue the issue is to ask yourself what kind of person you want to be, to find good reasons to back up your view and listen to possible counter-arguments, and then set forth to shape your own character, all the while being ready to justify your choice of virtue rationality or to change your mind” (Rosenstand, 2013). Secondly, a person’s reasons to uphold honesty can potentially come with a high price. For example, she might have to choose not to affiliate herself with dishonest individuals, she might have to make career choices according to uphold her honest values, and she might have to disassociate her children with dishonest people, or perhaps severe her ties with people in religious community. Of course, upholding her honest values could reduce the number people she associates herself and her family with. Eventually, having to eliminate people from her core group when over time they
Following this period, virtue ethics were consistently questioned, compared, and contrasted with increasing disagreement from both the theories of deontology and utilitarianism. Neither, focused on the tradition that virtue ethics does, they consisted of the virtues themselves, motives and moral compass, moral education, moral knowledge, personal relationships, the notion of happiness, and lastly the concept of character. For example, one might ponder whom they want to be known as, and what standard do I go about achieving this goal. What will this person’s legacy be concerning which morals are embraced and lived by? According to Ronald Dworkin, a Jewish-American philosopher, ‘Plato and Aristotle have a better overall approach because they are looking at the big picture” (Dworkin, 2011), which Dworkin calls an interpretive account of …show more content…
In life, we have had different situations and circumstances thrown our way, I believe that all we can do is our best. To me, my best includes being a Good Samaritan and to uphold the truth. For example, a virtuous person is someone who stumbles across many situations in a lifetime and chooses to do the right thing, regardless of the outcome. For an individual with virtue ethics the natural instinct is to help without a need for emotional, monetary or status gain. Our textbook states,” In an ethics of virtue the issue is to ask yourself what kind of person you want to be, to find good reasons to back up your view and listen to possible counter-arguments, and then set forth to shape your own character, all the while being ready to justify your choice of virtue rationality or to change your mind” (Rosenstand, 2013). Secondly, a person’s reasons to uphold honesty can potentially come with a high price. For example, she might have to choose not to affiliate herself with dishonest individuals, she might have to make career choices according to uphold her honest values, and she might have to disassociate her children with dishonest people, or perhaps severe her ties with people in religious community. Of course, upholding her honest values could reduce the number people she associates herself and her family with. Eventually, having to eliminate people from her core group when over time they