Virtue Ethics Evaluation Essay by Nick Purches-Knab https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17 Hive minding.... en-us 2022-10-05 09:07:58 UTC 2025-11-08 08:08:31 UTC hello@padlet.com Paragraph 1 https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327663492 Virtue ethics offers a realistic and compassionate ethical system which is not bound inflexibly to moral rules which fail to take into account the moral agent's feelings and reason.]]> 2022-10-05 14:09:49 UTC https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327663492 The right thing to do not being immediatly obvious. https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327663594 The right thing to do is often difficult to come to-virtue ethics recognises this and addresses it. You can say that a problem in virtue ethics is that it doesn’t give the individual an immediate answer though I don’t see that as an appropriate argument against virtue ethics. Yes, the right thing to do isn’t always immediately obvious, it shouldn’t be, virtue ethics will tell us that we need to agonise over the right action and struggle towards the correct answer for the moral agent, you see this such as in the case of the “trolly problem”, your action isn’t clear to you in the moment but instead requires effort and mental energy to attain the right action. The struggle towards right action is what builds virtues and homes in on the golden mean. Thankfully virtue ethics will tell us that we won’t always struggle, with conscious thought and practice the right thing to do in any specific situation becomes immediate and obvious. The lack of immediate elucidation in virtue ethics isn’t a counter argument but in support of the true nature of ethics.

]]> 2022-10-05 14:09:53 UTC https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327663594 Paragraph 1 https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327668142 Virtue ethics does not offer enough guidance to be a realistic system for moral choices since it is unclear what the moral agent should do in any given ethical situation.]]> 2022-10-05 14:12:00 UTC https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327668142 'It is a weakness that you can act virtuously and still not achieve happiness' ia340163 https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327679307 Some argue it is a weakness that you can act virtuously and still not achieve happiness. Although true, this does not make virtue theory irrelevant or pointless as bad things will happen to everyone at some point in their lifetime, whether they live virtuously or not. Everyone, even the people we gain our virtues from that we believe have such accomplished lives that we should take inspiration from will experience awful things or maybe just genuine unhappiness through unfulfillment during their lifetime, because in life it is impossible for someone to truly experience happiness for the whole of their lifetime. For example Turia Pitt was burnt in a fire while taking part in an activity she loved- running an ultra-marathon, despite this unhappy event she was able to carry on and use this as another way to better her character. The point of virtue theory and being virtuous is that if something bad is to happen, you are able to be vigilant and carry on with your life and continue to succeed despite the challenge. Virtue ethics teaches to take these virtues and use them in different situations, including the awful ones- like Turia Pitt who went on to run more marathons after her incredible injuries.]]> 2022-10-05 14:18:17 UTC https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327679307 paragraph 2 https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327680907  Some people believe that virtue ethics take relationships into consideration as it is a agent centred theory, this mean that different situations count for different reactions. This means that relationships can be considered into the theory. This is unlike other theories such as the divine command theory. This is an advantage as it shows that virtue theory is able to handle much more complex situations.

However, it could be argued that people should have a obligation to treat anyone in virtuous ways and to be able to sacrifice yourself for anyone and that by treating people you don’t know with less respect is actually less virtuous. Another argument for this is that most ethical theories already do include relationships. For example, in divine command theory, you are told to ‘honour your mother and farther’ this takes relationships into consideration and means that acknowledging relationships in an ethical theory shouldn’t be an advantage but just the norm.  

]]> 2022-10-05 14:19:13 UTC https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327680907 Paragraph 3- Flexibility https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327682806 An advantage of Virtue Ethics is that it is flexible and can be applied to almost any situation and can cope with the complexities of life. Unlike deontology, where there is a set of rules for moral behaviour and always a “right” and “wrong” action, virtue ethics states to focus on the character of the agent rather than the actions. For example, if a man was the steal a loaf of bread to feed his starving family, deontologists would immediately declare this as wrong, as it does not follow the rules laid out by society. However, virtue ethicists would look at the situation and realise that the man stole in order to provide for his family. They would not see this as a vice as it was stolen with the good intention to benefit others- meaning it would still count as a good virtue. Virtue Ethics is all about behaving appropriately to your situation- he had a realised human goal of providing food that allows his family and himself to flourish.

]]> 2022-10-05 14:20:17 UTC https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327682806 https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327684187 Some may say that virtue ethics is a weak ethical theory as it doesn't give moral agents rules to follow nor does it tell us what to do in certain situations. However, I believe this to be a strength as moral decisions are often very complex and extremely circumstantial. We shouldn't act solely in regard to rules given to us from an authoritative figure but instead take into account human relations, personal character, and individual lifestyle. Kupperman tells us that ethical decisions aren't really a 'snapshot' but they are about the 'long haul' and therefore it is unrealistic to take each action in isolation.]]> 2022-10-05 14:21:00 UTC https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327684187 https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327684617 2022-10-05 14:21:15 UTC https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327684617 paragraph 4 https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327684965 2022-10-05 14:21:26 UTC https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327684965 paragraph 2- Ethics are challenging https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327685413 2022-10-05 14:21:40 UTC https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327685413 Virtue ethics is a weakness as some people do not have a good role model . can be elitist https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327686047 I agree that a weakness of virtue ethics is that it may not be easy for everybody to develop virtues as it can be elitist. Some might say that if a person does not have a good role model they are unable to develop good virtues as they have no one to follow. If the agent is surrounded by bad role models they you could suggest that they would be unable to follow virtue ethics and flourish as they have only witnessed bad actions. This can be a disadvantage to some people. Virtue ethics is about building your character and if the agent is  surrounded by bad role models their character may also be bad and they will be unable to develop  virtues  . Aristotle says that you should act in a way that give you pleasure and that with the virtues we develop we will be happy about the choices we make. Without good virtues this may not be possible.

]]> 2022-10-05 14:22:01 UTC https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327686047 The flexibility of Virtue Ethics is an advantage https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327686273 It is an advantage of Virtue Ethics that it is flexible to any situation. Unlike in deontological ethical theories like Catholic Ethics, by being flexible to the moral agent’s circumstances, it takes into account the nuances of morality, and gives moral action context. Without the context, the moral agent’s moral situation is diminished and overlooked. For example, if Sarah was pregnant but needed an abortion because her pregnancy was life-threatening, but she went to a Catholic hospital, she would likely die from being refused service. However, with Virtue Ethics, Sarah would do what was right for her situation; getting an abortion. Some people argue that this flexibility is what makes Virtue Ethics too unreliable, as it doesn’t give direct guidelines for moral action, but this is invalid, as this flexibility is what makes Virtue Ethics highlight the true difficulty within ethical, moral thought, and thus shows that flexibility is crucial because not all statements can apply to every situation.

]]> 2022-10-05 14:22:09 UTC https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327686273 Virtue theory is flexible to your situation and consider the uniqueness of situations therefor making this not a weakness. I believe it allow people freedom without doing anything morally incorrect and illegal. For example, virtue theory will take in account our situation there for everyone will have a different outcome. Imagean a 13-year-old girl who has been raped by her next-door neighbour and is now Pregent but cannot fend or afford to care for the child meaning an abortion would be morally the right action for her to take however if 30-year-old women who is happily married and middle class get Pregent and decide she isn't ready to have a child yet and wants to have an abortion. This would be morally the wrong thing for her Todo. https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327686339 2022-10-05 14:22:11 UTC https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327686339 you can act virtuously your whole life, but still have bad things happen to you https://padlet.com/purchesknab/jsx3tfff37xw3m17/wish/2327687730 Some people may argue that a weakness of virtue theory is that you could act virtuously your whole life, but still not achieve happiness because something bad could still happen to you. However I disagree with this opinion, because according to Aristotle we must build a character that can make misfortune part of a flourishing life, so if you are acting virtuously does not stop bad things happening to you, you just have to accept the fact there will be bad things in your life, and be able to move past them and continue being virtuous in order to live a live of eudaimonia. If you are acting virtuously, but are not happy because you are worried about bad things happening, or focus on the negative then you are not living a virtuous life. Furthermore, acting virtuously isn’t the only thing that leads to a virtuous life, because you can’t just focus purely on your actions, as you have to develop your character too.

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