Virtues and values has repeatedly come up in the works of Phillipa Foot, Ayn Rand, and Tara Smith. While Foot takes a more general approach to the idea of virtues and values in regards to its importance in Ethics, Smith opts to delve in deeper, choosing to elaborate more on the subject of intrinsic value than the general idea of virtues and values. In addition Rand has her own take on values, asserting that they are a crucial part in attaining life fulfillment.
A virtue, is defined by the Merriam Webster’s dictionary as “conformity to a standard of right” (“Virtue” def. 1a) or “a particular moral excellence” (“Virtues” def. 1b.) In other words, a virtue is behavior that is consistent with the idea of being a moral person or of someone with …show more content…
And while things such as whether or not a person has a stronger inclination to steal or not might have come about as something from their nature, virtues are by no means strictly inborn traits. For example, wisdom. While Aristotle is much more prone to the idea that wisdom is an intuitive characteristic, Foot argues that wisdom is available to anyone who wishes to obtain it. And that the difference between a wise man and a foolish man depend on his will and the virtues instilled within …show more content…
Intrinsic value in itself is something of a confusing concept to explain. But to my understanding, intrinsic value, in the most basic terms I can supplement, is an opinion or value put upon something to give it worth. Smith dissects this theory in half with two main “strains” of intrinsic value: the good-in-itself conception and the sought-for its-own-sake conception. As a whole Rand concludes that Intrinsic value is more of an “assertion of faith” (Rand, 545) if anything due to the fact that the qualities of intrinsic value do not add up to anything
A virtue, is defined by the Merriam Webster’s dictionary as “conformity to a standard of right” (“Virtue” def. 1a) or “a particular moral excellence” (“Virtues” def. 1b.) In other words, a virtue is behavior that is consistent with the idea of being a moral person or of someone with …show more content…
And while things such as whether or not a person has a stronger inclination to steal or not might have come about as something from their nature, virtues are by no means strictly inborn traits. For example, wisdom. While Aristotle is much more prone to the idea that wisdom is an intuitive characteristic, Foot argues that wisdom is available to anyone who wishes to obtain it. And that the difference between a wise man and a foolish man depend on his will and the virtues instilled within …show more content…
Intrinsic value in itself is something of a confusing concept to explain. But to my understanding, intrinsic value, in the most basic terms I can supplement, is an opinion or value put upon something to give it worth. Smith dissects this theory in half with two main “strains” of intrinsic value: the good-in-itself conception and the sought-for its-own-sake conception. As a whole Rand concludes that Intrinsic value is more of an “assertion of faith” (Rand, 545) if anything due to the fact that the qualities of intrinsic value do not add up to anything