Greg Detre
Wednesday, May 09, 2001
South Schools, Dr R Crisp
virtue ethics � third of the main modern theories (consequentialism + Kantianism)
Anscombe article (cf Schopenhauer) questioned the legalistic notions in ethics (e.g. �ought�) � only make sense in the context of a divine law-giver
advocated a version of Aristotelianism � first seek to understand human psychology
the virtuous life � � the happiness of the agent
Kant: 3 shopkeepers who could cheat their customers but don�t:
because she�s afraid she won�t get away with it � no moral worth
too nice � no moral worth (wrong reasons for not cheating them, she just happens to have these dispositions, they�re determined, she doesn�t deserve credit � but how would she then be blameable if she were to do bad actions?)
really tempted, thinks she could get away with it, but doesn�t because motivated by duty � moral worth
you can almost imagine a virtuous person in Aristotle being pleased to come across someone in trouble so that they can exhibit their virtue, admiring their own virtue
what about the action being right for its own sake???
�Ethics of care� � sets up against rights, justice + moral opinion � Brian Barry, Justice as Impartiality
what is virtue ethics?
you should act virtuously
agent/character �centred
virtue theory minus benevolence + virtues = utilitarianism
virtues themselves ground reasons
Aristotle according to Crisp - human happiness consists in the exercising of the virtues, and nothing else
the notion of the �noble� has dropped out of contemporary ethics
virtues (states/dispositions) vs capacities
right target
no virtues of kindness�
the key virtue is honour/greatness of soul
which sort of systems of universalisable morality do allow for integrity???
is Ross J a virtue ethicist???