scholarly journals The Revival of Virtue Ethics As an Ethical View

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 285
Author(s):  
Chris O. Abakare

Aristotle and Plato were the chief architects of virtue ethics, but their own formulation of virtue ethics was mostly subdued with the appearance of consequentialism as well as Kantian deontology. However, modem thinkers have attempted to revive virtue ethics in its new form and in this regard the name which is popularly known is G.E.M. Anscombe. In fact Anscombe clearly indicates in what sense virtue ethics can be revived and what was wrong with the traditional virtue ethics as expounded by Aristotle and Plato. Anscombe points out three important issues for which traditional virtue ethics perhaps lost its glory. First, moral philosophy in general cannot survive without an adequate philosophy of psychology and this thing was absent in the traditional virtue ethics. Secondly, without psychological possibility the concepts of moral obligation and moral duty, the moral sense of ought to be jeopardized. Thirdly and importantly, the differences between the well-known English writers on moral philosophy from Sidgwick to the present day are of little importance. This task of this paper is to review the revival of virtue ethics.

Author(s):  
Chris O. Abakare

<span lang="EN-US">Aristotle and Plato were the chief architects of virtue ethics, but their own formulation of virtue ethics was mostly subdued with the appearance of consequentialism as well as Kantian deontology. However, modem thinkers have attempted to revive virtue ethics in its new form and in this regard the name which is popularly known is G.E.M. Anscombe. In fact Anscombe clearly indicates in what sense virtue ethics can be revived and what was wrong with the traditional virtue ethics as expounded by Aristotle and Plato. Anscombe points out three important issues for which traditional virtue ethics perhaps lost its glory. First, moral philosophy in general cannot survive without an adequate philosophy of psychology and this thing was absent in the traditional virtue ethics. Secondly, without psychological possibility the concepts of moral obligation and moral duty, the moral sense of ought to be jeopardized. Thirdly and importantly, the differences between the well-known English writers on moral philosophy from Sidgwick to the present day are of little importance. This task of this paper is to review the revival of virtue ethics</span>


Labyrinth ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 137
Author(s):  
Kathi Beier

In modern moral philosophy, virtue ethics has developed into one of the major approaches to ethical inquiry. As it seems, however, it is faced with a kind of perplexity similar to the one that Elisabeth Anscombe has described in Modern moral philosophy with regard to ethics in general. For if we assume that Anscombe is right in claiming that virtue ethics ought to be grounded in a sound philosophy of psychology, modern virtue ethics seems to be baseless since it lacks or even avoids reflections on the human soul. To overcome this difficulty, the paper explores the conceptual connections between virtue and soul in Aristotle's ethics. It claims that the human soul is the principle of virtue since reflections on the soul help us to define the nature of virtue, to understand the different kinds of virtues, and to answer the question why human beings need the virtues at all. 


Author(s):  
Christine Swanton

This chapter shows how Hume’s “sentimentalist” moral theory can be a version of virtue ethics and elaborates the kind of virtue ethics that best describes Hume’s moral philosophy. To accomplish this task, we need a definition of virtue ethics, an account of types of virtue ethical theory, and to place Hume’s ethics within this taxonomy. Three types of virtue ethics, are outlined. Hume is located within a pluralistic virtue ethics where virtue notions are central and a variety of features make traits “naturally fitted” to be approved as virtues. Hume’s virtue ethics is understood as response-dependent, being grounded in an emotional kind of “moral sense” as suitably objective and as conforming to his basic empiricism.


Philosophy ◽  
1946 ◽  
Vol 21 (78) ◽  
pp. 29-41
Author(s):  
A. C. Ewing

The editor suggested my writing an article on the question whether it was possible to provide an ethics based upon principles which would be agreed to by all enlightened men, and he further suggested that I should begin the article by stating clearly what morality is. That is a somewhat difficult task, because while “morality” might be defined as “living as one ought,” it is a very disputable question whether and how this “ought” is itself to be defined, and I could not undertake to deal with this question by the way as an introduction to an article on something else. It is, however, clear that there is another sense of “ought” besides the strictly moral sense. We do use the term in cases where it does not entail that a man is neglecting his moral duty if he does not do what he “ought.” For instance we say: “You ought to have seen that film,” “You ought not to have made that move,” “You ought to have seen through that argument,” even “Hitler ought to have invaded England after Dunkirk” where we should have regarded it as the reverse of a good thing if he had done what we say he ought. In none of these cases are we asserting a moral obligation. For we do not ordinarily regard people as under a moral obligation to seek their own pleasure, nor to make certain moves in a game, and while we should say that in matters of serious concern a person is morally obliged to do his best to form a true view as to the merits of a relevant argument, we should not say that he was morally obliged actually to form a true view, for this does not depend solely on his will. And in the fourth instance the action is one which we should think morally wrong rather than morally obligatory. What is there in common between “ought” as used in these cases and the moral “ought”? It is that in each case the action fits the situation, either wholly, or with certain limitations, as in the last instance where we presumably mean that to invade England would have fitted in better with Hitler's ends in the given environment than did the policy Hitler actually adopted.


2004 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 301-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Onora O'Neill

Anscombe's indictment of modern moral philosophy is full-blooded. She began with three strong claims:The first is that is not profitable to do moral philosophy… until we have an adequate philosophy of psychology, in which we are conspicuously lacking. The second is that the concepts of obligation and duty… and of the moral sense of ‘ought’, ought to be jettisoned… because they are derivatives… from an earlier conception of ethics… and are only harmful without it. The third thesis is that the differences between the well-known English writers on moral philosophy from Sidgwick to the present are of little importance.


Author(s):  
Jorge Sierra Merchán

ResumenEn la discusión sobre las implicaciones éticas de la ingeniería genética, es común establecer una diferencia entre eugenesia negativa y eugenesia positiva. La eugenesia negativa está conformada por procedimientos orientados a corregir defectos genéticos, es decir, a evitar o minimizar la trasmisión de enfermedades hereditarias. La eugenesia positiva consiste en potenciar u optimizar caracteres que se consideran deseables (belleza o inteligencia). Una cosa es reparar, con fines terapéuticos, un error genético y otra cosa es mejorar genéticamente un rasgo que se considera bueno y deseable. En este sentido cabe preguntarse: ¿hay un deber moral de evitar, mediante la ingeniería genética, que los niños nazcan con discapacidades y no se les condene a una vida de desgracia? ¿O hay también un deber moral equivalente de garantizar que los niños posean belleza e inteligencia? El presente texto busca responder ambas cuestiones mediante una evaluación de los argumentos en pro y en contra de la eugenesia desarrollados por Singer y Nussbaum. Sostendré que hay una obligación moral de aplicar la eugenesia negativa, mientras que tal obligación no es extensiva para el caso de la eugenesia positiva. Esto implica que no es posible exigir un presunto derecho a ser desgraciado ni desde el punto de vista de los padres ni desde el punto de vista de los futuros hijos para el caso de la eugenesia negativa, en tanto que para el caso de la eugenesia positiva el derecho a ser desgraciados parece ser más defendible. Palabras clave: Eugenesia, genoma humano, principio preventivo, Singer, Nussbaum**********************************************************Is it possible to claim a alleged right to be disgraced? The “happy world” of eugenicsAbstractIn the discussion about the ethical implications of genetic engineering it is usual to distinguish between negative and positive eugenics. Negative eugenics refers to genetic imperfections correction procedures, which aim to avoid or minimize the transmission of hereditary diseases. Positive eugenics consists in the improvement or optimization of features considered desirable (as beauty or intelligence). One thing is to repair, for therapeutic purposes, a genetic error, and another to genetically improve a feature considered good and desirable. In this sense one could ask if it is a moral duty to avoid, through genetic engineering, impairments in newborns, saving them from an unfortunate life; and if there is also an equivalent moral duty to guarantee that children possess beauty and intelligence. This paper aims to answer both questions through an evaluation of the arguments for and against eugenics proposed by Singer and Nussbaum. I will hold that though there is a moral obligation to apply negative eugenics, this kind of obligation is not present in the case of positive eugenics. This implies that it is not possible to demand a presumed right to be miserable, either from the parent’s or the future children’s point of view, in the case of negative eugenics, although this presumed right to be miserable seems to be more defensible in the case of positive eugenics. Key words: Eugenics, human genome, preventive principle, Singer, Nussbaum.**********************************************************É possível reclamar um alegado direito a ser desgraçado? O “mundo feliz” da eugenesiaResumoNa discussão sobre as implicações éticas da engenharia genética é frequente estabelecer uma diferenciação entre eugenesia negativa e eugenesia positiva. A eugenesia negativa está conformada pelos procedimentos orientados a corrigir defeitos genéticos, ou seja, evitar ou minimizar a transmissão de doenças hereditárias. A eugenesia positiva consiste em potenciar ou aperfeiçoar caracteres que se consideram desejáveis (beleza ou inteligência). Uma coisa é reparar, com fins terapêuticos, um erro genético, e outra coisa é melhorar geneticamente um traço que se considera bom ou desejável, Nesse sentido é possível perguntar: há o dever moral de evitar, mediante a engenharia genética, que as crianças nasçam com incapacidades e não sejam condenados a uma vida de desgraça? Ou há também um dever moral equivalente de que as crianças possuam beleza e inteligência? O presente texto procura responder ambas as questões mediante uma avaliação dos argumentos em prol e em contra da eugenesia desenvolvidos por Singer e Nussbaum. Vou suster que há uma obrigação moral de aplicar a eugenesia negativa, enquanto que tal obrigação não é extensiva para o caso da eugenesia positiva. Isto implica que não é possível exigir um pressuposto direito a ser desgraçado nem desde o ponto de vista dos pais nem desde o ponto de vista dos futuros filhos no caso da eugenesia negativa, em tanto que no caso da eugenesia positiva o direito a ser desgraçados parece ser mais defendível. Palavras chave: Eugenesia, genoma humano, princípio preventivo, Singer, Nussbaum.


1985 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 531-549
Author(s):  
Robert Gascoigne

For some moral philosophers the question ‘Why be moral?’ is fundamentally inappropriate, since it seems to ask for non–moral reasons or motivations for moral action and thus to threaten the integrity and autonomy of morality. Yet the question ‘Why be moral?’ need not be oriented towards discovering non–moral reasons for moral action, but rather towards elucidating what general description of the human condition is most compatible with the fundamental character of morality. Rather than leaving the moral sense as an isolated category of human response, it is relevant to ask what other features of reality it may be associated with and in what general context it can most coherently be situated. The purpose of this paper is to examine the sense of moral obligation as an objective or categorical claim on individual action and to present the thesis that this moral sense is most intelligible within a theological context.


2007 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-86
Author(s):  
Anna Abram

This article presents a view of moral development based on the interdisciplinary study of moral psychology and virtue ethics. It suggests that a successful account of moral development has to go beyond what the developmental psychology and virtue ethics advocate and find ways of incorporating ideas, such as “moral failure” and “unpredictability of life.” It proposes to recognize the concept of moral development as an essential concept for ethics, moral philosophy and philosophy of education, and as a useful tool for anyone who wants to engage constructively in dialogues of religions, cultures and personal interaction.


Philosophy ◽  
2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ned Dobos

There are good, prudential reasons to obey the law. The prospect of punishment, not to mention loss of reputation and social exclusion, is enough for most any citizen possessed of a suitably far-sighted self-interest to discharge his or her legal duties. But is there a moral obligation to do what the law requires, just because the law requires it? If the answer is yes and the mere illegality of an act renders its performance prima facie morally wrong, political obligation obtains. Political obligation thus refers to the moral duty of citizens to obey the laws of their state. In cases where an action or forbearance that is required by law is morally obligatory on independent grounds, political obligation simply gives the citizen an additional reason for acting accordingly. But law tends to extend beyond morality, forbidding otherwise morally innocent behavior and compelling acts and omissions that people tend to think of as morally discretionary. In such cases, the sole source of one’s moral duty to comply with the law is one’s political obligation.


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