Ethics

Ethics Study Guide

Chapter 5: Virtue Ethics, Natural Law Theory, and Communitarianism

©2018 Achieve Page 35 of 116 . It expands on the understanding of ethics due to its heavy dependency on the concept of virtue. According to Aristotle, when people are better able to regulate their emotions and their reason, they acquire good habits of character. This, in turn, helps us reach morally correct decisions when we are faced with difficult choices. Aristotle closely observed nature. He believed nature was purposive and did nothing in vain. The purpose is what Aristotle called telos , the Greek word for goal. According to Aristotle, if morality refers to our actions, and our actions are a reflection of our beliefs, then morality ought to address what we believe. When discussing moral life we should define the ideals necessary for justice and morality. Then we should try to develop those ideals in ourselves and in our society. Unlike Plato, Aristotle focused on the idea of a potentially perfect society. Platonic Soul The Platonic soul is made up of three parts: the logos (mind), thymos (emotion), and eros (desire). Each part has a specific, defined function in a balanced and peaceful soul. Following the ideas of his teacher Socrates, Plato considered the soul as the essence of people, and responsible for deciding how we behave. Plato considered the soul to be an eternal occupant of our being that is continually reborn in subsequent bodies after our death. Aristotle, following Plato, defined the soul as the core or essence of a living being. He also argued against the soul having a completely separate existence. In Aristotle’s view, a living thing’s soul is its Objectives After reading this chapter, you should be able to: 1. Distinguish between moral and non-moral values. 2. Describe the conflict between the ethics of being and the ethics of doing. 3. Explain Aristotle’s idea of what constitutes a good person. 4. Define Plato’s concepts of the soul and the virtuous person. 5. Understand the development of Natural Law theory throughout history to the present- day understanding of human rights. 6. Explain the importance of virtue in Hume’s theory. 5.1 Virtue Ethics In order to identify human virtues, one needs to have a firm grasp on what the human purpose is. Throughout time, inconsistency in defining these virtues has been the norm. Homer, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, and Benjamin Franklin all created lists of human virtues, many of which fail to overlap the others. The first systematic description of virtue ethics was recorded by Aristotle in his famous work, The Nicomachean Ethics