Practical Wisdom in the Recovery of Virtue Ethics

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Marta Rocchi ◽  
Dulce M. Redín ◽  
Ignacio Ferrero
Keyword(s):  
Virtue Ethics ◽  
Practical Wisdom

scholarly journals Justice as Lawfulness

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 262-278
Author(s):  
TRISTAN J. ROGERS
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Virtue Ethics ◽  
Practical Wisdom ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Tradition ◽  
Individual Justice ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractWhat is the relationship between justice as an individual virtue and justice as an institutional virtue? The latter has been exhaustively explored by political philosophers, whereas the former remains underexplored in the literature on virtue ethics. This article defends the view that individual justice is logically prior to institutional justice, and argues that this view requires a conception of individual justice I call ‘justice as lawfulness’. The resulting view consists of three claims. First, just institutions are composed of the relations between just persons. Second, the just person has a disposition to act in accordance with the legal and social norms (collectively, thenomoi) of the existing political tradition. Third, departures from thenomoirequire that the just person act with practical wisdom to reform thenomoiaccording to an implicit standard of justice in the political tradition.

Introduction

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Maxwell A. Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Virtue Ethics ◽  
Practical Wisdom ◽  
Institutional Analysis ◽  
Contemporary Literature

Institutions are powerful forces in our lives because they exert an influence over our choices and actions, giving them meaning and significance. Whereas much of the contemporary literature on institutions stresses the importance of interests and rights, less attention has been given to the goods that institutions deliver. This chapter defines what we mean by institutions, and introduces the idea of practical wisdom from the tradition of virtue ethics. Linking institutional analysis to virtue ethics helps us to better appreciate the need for wise practitioners and to understand why the aims (or goods) of institutions cannot be achieved without them.

Virtue Ethics and International Relations

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Ainley
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
Virtue Ethics ◽  
Practical Wisdom ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
International Affairs ◽  
International Ethics ◽  
International Political Theory ◽  
The Right ◽  
Working Out

Virtue Ethics (VE) is a way of thinking about how to behave well which focuses on the character of moral agents and the nature of the good life. This contrasts with dominant approaches to international ethics which prioritize the identification or development of moral rules or duties (deontological approaches) or the consequences of actions (consequentialist approaches). The relevance of virtue ethics to international affairs is established by setting out the critique of the dominant law-based approaches offered by VE and then exploring the positive contribution VE can make. Virtue ethicists argue that character and a concrete conception of the human good are central to ethics—that the right question to ask when working out what it means to be ethical is not “what should I do” but “what sort of person should I be?” The three central concepts in VE—virtue, practical wisdom, and flourishing—have not been applied systematically qua VE in international political theory or international relations, but their appearance in various guises in recent scholarship suggests avenues for future research. Four such avenues are identified, ranging from the moderate to the radical, which offer innovative ways to confront key ethical dilemmas faced in international affairs.

Virtue Ethics, Lawyers and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird

2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-100
Author(s):  
Tim Dare ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Virtue Ethics ◽  
Practical Wisdom ◽  
Legal Ethics ◽  
Film Version ◽  
To Kill A Mockingbird ◽  
Rules And Principles

Atticus Finch, the lawyer-hero of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, played by Gregory Peck in the classic 1962 film version, has been adopted as an exemplar by advocates of a virtue ethics approach to legal ethics. When Atticus condones a departure from the rules of law in order to spare Boo Radley a trial, these theorists argue, he displays practical wisdom, or phronesis, and shows that the good lawyer gives priority to judgement and character over rules and principles. Yet Atticus can be understood in a quite different way as a tragic figure who, when faced with the possibility of a tragedy in Boo's case, abandons the commitment to law which earlier was a central part of his character. From this perspective, Atticus' lesson for legal ethics is not about the priority of judgement and character, but instead about the value of the rules and principles he abandons.

scholarly journals Virtue Ethics and Natural Law Responses to Human Rights Quandaries in Business

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejo José G SISON
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Virtue Ethics ◽  
Natural Law ◽  
Practical Wisdom ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Modern World ◽  
The Public ◽  
Normative Force ◽  
Business And Human Rights ◽  
Law And Ethics

AbstractThis article is motivated by certain issues for which, in current Business and Human Rights (BHR) discourse, largely framed in terms of the Ruggie reports, no satisfactory solutions have been found to date. These quandaries refer to (a) foundational matters: the link between human rights law and ethics; (b) normative force: the obligatoriness of human rights claims on corporations; and (c) scope and content of human rights claims on corporations. Turning to the virtue ethics and natural law (VENL) tradition, we encounter the following possible responses: (a) positive laws, such as those concerning human rights, ultimately require a basis in natural law; (b) although the public use of the coercive force of law belongs to the state alone, its private use by non-state actors such as individuals and corporations may be legitimate in some cases; and (c) practical wisdom is necessary in the proper interpretation and implementation of human rights claims on corporations, taking into account relevant contingencies. The blending of BHR discourse with the VENL tradition is best captured in modern Catholic Social Teaching (CST). Although historically CST has adopted the VENL language, engagement with social issues in the modern world has enabled it to reach an understanding with rights theory as well, particularly in connection with business and the economy.

scholarly journals What is the ‘good’ forensic accountant? A virtue ethics perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan Howieson
Keyword(s):  
Virtue Ethics ◽  
Practical Wisdom ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Public Confidence ◽  
Legal Compliance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Forensic Accounting ◽  
Prior Literature ◽  
Professional Judgement

Purpose The aim of this paper is to explore how virtue ethics might inform our understanding about what constitutes “good” practice in forensic accounting. In particular, the paper explores the concept of phronesis (or practical wisdom) as a basis for guiding the application of professional judgement in forensic accounting practice. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on a review of relevant literature. Findings Prior literature has identified a number of technical and personal characteristics and attributes that are desirable in forensic accounting practitioners. Although being ethical is identified as an important characteristic, the question of what constitutes a “good” forensic accountant has not hitherto been investigated. Because of the profession’s multi-disciplinary and highly technical nature, forensic accountants are significantly at risk of conflating ethics with compliance with the law. The paper suggests that an understanding of virtue ethics and especially the virtue of “phronesis” or practical wisdom will help forensic accountants maintain public confidence and quality in their services and provide practical guidance on the exercise of professional judgement. Practical implications The paper suggests that the primacy currently given in forensic accounting literature and practice to a commercial logic, technical competencies and legal compliance risks damaging the professional standing of forensic accountants and, over time, reduces the ability of forensic accountants to exercise professional judgement in complex unstructured situations. Virtue ethics can act as a useful counter point to these threats. Social implications A recognition of the need for the forensic accounting profession to collectively develop phronesis would re-establish the primacy of the profession’s public interest logic and maintain public trust and quality in forensic accounting services. Originality/value There appears to be no prior literature in forensic accounting which explores the application of virtue ethics in this field. In addition, although virtue ethics has been the subject of some prior papers in accounting per se, the importance of phronesis as a basis for understanding the nature and application of professional judgement has not been addressed.

Teleological Hospitality

2021 ◽  
pp. 88-96
Author(s):  
Richard Kearney ◽  
Melissa Fitzpatrick
Keyword(s):  
Virtue Ethics ◽  
Moral Philosophy ◽  
Practical Wisdom ◽  
Human Flourishing ◽  
Moral Philosopher

This chapter will explore what I take to be the post-Kantian practical-possible ethics par excellence: contemporary virtue ethics. In the spirit of Aristotle, contemporary virtue ethics seeks to provide an account of ethics that is relevant to life, as we know it—and for our purposes, an ethics of hospitality that is more than armchair theory. Elaborating on the two preceding chapters, I will critically interpret Talbot Brewer’s recent and remarkably comprehensive Aristotelian-inspired approach to re-imagining the task of moral philosophy and the moral philosopher, ultimately illustrating that a vital aspect of human flourishing—eudaimonia, a life of practical wisdom—is hospitality to the strange and strangers.

NHS constitution values for values-based recruitment: a virtue ethics perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (8) ◽  
pp. 518-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Elise Groothuizen ◽  
Alison Callwood ◽  
Ann Gallagher
Keyword(s):  
Virtue Ethics ◽  
Practical Wisdom ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Healthcare Staff ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Healthcare Professions ◽  
Historical Tradition ◽  
Extensive Body ◽  
Uk National Health Service ◽  
The Uk

Values-based recruitment is used in England to select healthcare staff, trainees and students on the basis that their values align with those stated in the Constitution of the UK National Health Service (NHS). However, it is unclear whether the extensive body of existing literature within the field of moral philosophy was taken into account when developing these values. Although most values have a long historical tradition, a tendency to assume that they have just been invented, and to approach them uncritically, exists within the healthcare sector. Reflection is necessary. We are of the opinion that selected virtue ethics writings, which are underpinned by historical literature as well as practical analysis of the healthcare professions, provide a helpful framework for evaluation of the NHS Constitution values, to determine whether gaps exist and improvements can be made. Based on this evaluation, we argue that the definitions of certain NHS Constitution values are ambiguous. In addition to this, we argue that ’integrity' and ’practical wisdom', two important concepts in the virtue ethics literature, are not sufficiently represented within the NHS Constitution values. We believe that the NHS Constitution values could be strengthened by providing clearer definitions, and by integrating ’integrity' and ’practical wisdom'. This will benefit values-based recruitment strategies. Should healthcare policy-makers in other countries wish to develop a similar values-based recruitment framework, we advise that they proceed reflectively, and take previously published virtue ethics literature into consideration.

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