Aristotle versus Nietzsche Greek philosopher Aristotle and German philosopher Nietzsche both had opposing views regarding ethics and morality, however I found a few that seem very close to each other with different wording. Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics view on Virtue Ethics states that to be virtuous is to follow the lead and example of someone whom is virtuous. However, in Aristotle’s era his firm beliefs of emotional morality, emotional knowledge, duty, and priority are the embodiment of this ethical code. After my readings, I would say that I believe in this ethical census of “doing the right thing”.…
Throughout Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle expands on what are the requirements for people to be considered good, or virtuous. He explains how political science is the ultimate science, since it deals not only with individual good, but with a societal good, which involves leadership in the most significant manner. For him, being virtuous is a necessary component of good life, which is one that is lived well, and may be perceived as “happy.” For practical purposes, however, in a world where one must interact with others, it is difficult to reach a consensus on the patterns of behavior that can be seen as virtuous. Nonetheless, Aristotle provides a most thorough structure to living virtuously, which he opens to be molded to the circumstances and…
Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher, a student of Socrates, and the teacher and mentor to individuals such as Alexander the Great. His influence has spanned the cultures of the world for thousands of years (Shields, 2015). Aristotle contended that a virtuous life was the key to a happy life. For him, virtue was the mean between two extremes. A virtuous person, said Aristotle, was neither excessive nor depleted in his good characteristics and actions.…
In the world of ethics, there lies principles on which to live life by. Among these principles come the great philosophers that created them. Philosophers such as Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, and John Stuart Mill. Along with their corresponding theories of Virtue, Nonconsequentialism, and Utilitarianism. These theories have such shaped the world ethics since creation and have continued to influence thinkers even today.…
How ought we make moral decisions? Aristotle will say that we ought to act according to virtue, while Foot similarly argues that we ought to act according to our ‘natural good’. In this paper, I will discuss Aristotle’s view of a virtues and Foot’s derived concept of natural facts about what humans ought to do when it comes to morality. I will also consider some problems I find with both Foot’s and Aristotle’s ideas that there is or can be an objective good. I will argue that human beings ought to make moral decisions based on their subjective good, mainly because that’s the only thing we are capable of.…
Founded by Aristotle, Virtue Ethics does not look at an action (what we do), in and of itself; instead, it studies whether the person acting is good and in what ways (who we are). It is only through our disposition for virtue that we can achieve eudaimonia - happiness. It is important to remember that in Virtue Ethics a person can do the right thing with the wrong motives and not be considered virtuous.…
Virtue ethics starts with the question, “What makes for a good, or excellent, person?” They answer the question by arguing that being a good person is about having a good character. A character is a set of dispositions and those who have a good character are naturally disposed to do good things. It is believed that those with good characters are “virtuous” and that good character traits are virtues, while bad character traits are vices. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a virtue is a good and moral quality (2013).…
Back in ancient Greece Aristotle theory of Virtue Ethics begged the question “what sort of person should I be?” (SL, 254) It’s no surprise this question still persists over two thousand years after his death. To this day Aristotelian virtue ethics remains prominent in ethical theories, all this time there have been objections to its theories but there must be something to these ancient ideas. Over the course of this paper I will explain virtue ethics as a whole and present an argument against virtue ethics and why virtue ethics has been able to withstand the opposing ideas.…
In class, we have been discussing ethical theories as well as practicing placing these theories to cases. Ethical theories are a set of principles of right conduct and a system of moral values. The field of ethics involves systematizing, defending, and deciding different concepts of right and wrong behavior. In this day, philosophers are known to separate ethical theories into either metaethics, normative ethics, or applied ethics. I’ve chosen to focus on John Stuart Mill and Aristotle’s opposing argumentative theories which help teach me to analyze the cases provided to me.…
Virtue ethics, a theory created by Aristotle used to make moral decisions. His theory solely relied on individualism, not society, culture or religion. His theory was introduced in ancient Greek times. For Aristotle one should be able to do good without mere pleasure or political since it would be superficial. Virtue ethics is more concerned with how one should live.…
Introduction Throughout the history of man the question has always come into play regarding how one should behave or conduct themselves during the course of their lives. As a result of this arduous quest, for centuries, several theories have made their way into the hearts and minds of men. Ethics or Moral Philosophy addresses these concerns. The focus of this paper as it relates to ethics will be The Theory of Virtue Ethics.…
Contrasting Plato’s theory of Dualism , Aristotle explains that the body and mind are one thing that cannot be separated. Aristotle claims that motion is eternal. Introducing us the idea of happiness, Aristotle questions what we do to make our life good or something that makes us be alive. He states that the psyche or soul part of our life like happiness consists a good life for humans.…
The following paper argues in favor of Aristotle’s virtue ethics over Kantian deontology. In Kantian deontology, to be ethical is to follow one’s duty by acting on only the rules which one can at the same time rationally will that those actions become universal laws, while in Aristotelian virtue ethics, to be ethical is to develop and internalize virtuous habits until one fully becomes virtuous themselves. In turn, the ethical question of ‘What should I do?’ that deontology asks becomes ‘What should I be?’ with virtue ethics, placing emphasis on internal motivations rather than external actions.…
Philosophy 2306 Final Paper In The Elements of Moral Philosophy, James and Stuart Rachels discuss the ideas of ethics that a novice should challenge. This book consists of thirteen chapters. First, the author begins with the minimum conception of morality; the following three chapters cover cultural relativism and the connection between morality and religion; the middle chapters, five to twelve, focus on essential ethical theories; and the last chapter describes the author’s perspective of what a satisfactory moral theory should be like.…
The question “Can virtue be taught?” is a question that has puzzled philosophers for ages. It is a hard question to answer since we do not know what the true definition of virtue is. Socrates attempts to define virtue as knowledge, and if one is knowledgeable they will do the right thing without much effort (Plato, Meno). After time the meaning of virtue has changed. Today one could define virtue as being morally good.…