Kwame Appiah The Case Against Character Summary

The essay “The Case against Character” written by Kwame Appiah illustrates the reality of people’s ethics, morals and the decisions that they make. Author discusses more in depth the difference between situational ethics and virtue ethics, and how it relates to the way how we live our life today. When it comes to the situational ethics, as Appiah explains the majority of the decisions that we make on a daily bases are influenced not by our feelings of empathy and compassion, but by the wide variety of situations that we find ourselves in, at that specific time. In contrast of that, the virtue ethics are fully controlled by our emotions, the way how we act reflects on the way how we feel about others. Author clearly describes each theory and shows for what they really stand for, without making his own stand. …show more content…
I think that the topic of this essay is interesting and controversial at the same time. We have been always struggled with the moral decisions and situations, especially when we constantly feel the pressure from the society. In today’s world, ethical behavior and morals are famous words that are used quite often, they are strongly promoted in our environment. However, people forgot about their definition and a true meaning, as a result of that they have a hard time with determining what is right or what is wrong. Their approach of morals and ethics differs, and it is completely normal. We all are different people, we experience different things, therefore it is obvious that at some point we won’t be able to agree, this is what makes us unique. In order to become more virtuous, we definitely need to reflect on our priorities, needs and goals, only that way we will be able to make some positive