Greg Detre
1/6/01
last essay � need to justify the CI
2 fails the CI
generate a contradiction in conception when universalised, e.g. false promising
contradiction in will, e.g. not giving to charity
given the aims that rational agents ought to have, it wouldn't be rational to will such a world
for Kant and consequentialists, morality = external obligations
whereas, there�s no notion of obligation in Aristotle � more congenial flourishing
Aristotle would say that the psychopath with different virtues is mistaken and is not flourishing
MacIntyre wants to get away from Aristotle�s metaphysical biology
�virtue� in Aristotle shouldn't have moral overtones
broad sense of excellence or flourishing
MacIntyre � virtue = human excellence relevance to practice = rule-governed activity � anything which has standards, e.g. chess, conversation
there are practices where excellence is not necessarily good, e.g. thievery
the practices which are important are those which form part of the narrative
our stories are partly defined by the community
as well as our own lives
situation in traditions
e.g. our secular liberal rationalism
defines our role as free + equal citizen in democracy = 1 of our roles, strand in our narrative
virtues = those which help us understand our roles + position in narrative, and to excel in them (those practices sanctioned by the narrative) within our position in the narrative
= a relative account of the virtues
can't codify a system of rightness for use in deliberation in an act
virtues in utilitarianism
enjoying the right things
foreseeing consequences
the criterion of right action for utilitarian virtuosity
the description of the virtuous person is in terms of the criterion for right action
in virtue ethics/theory, it�s the other way round
virtue ethics � egoistic in the sense of promoting one�s own flourishing
emphasising whole life rather than episodes
better definition of well-being
can only be assessed over the coruse of a life-time
for Aristotle, the virtues are constitutive of well-being
virtue consists in activity � behaving virtuously is flourishing
as opposed to consequences, where action is instrumental to well-being
Aristotle � unity of the virtues
ethier all or none of the virtues
because in order to have a given virtue, it has to be in harmony with the other virtues
wisdom (practical) characterises the state of mind in entirety
sensibility to the morally salient facts
vs theoretical (how-to) (scientific) wisdom, e.g. in a craft
do modern virtue theorists try + enumerate the virtues???
in MacIntyre and Hursthouse
mostly focus on defining rightness in terms of being virtuous, rather than the other way round
read McDowell � Virtue + reason
how mix in consequentialism with virtue theory???
is virtue ethics a form of egoism???
yes, but one�s interests have been enlarged to include friendship, justice
I�m not so sure about that, thinking about it again
is virtue ethics a form of vanity???
less of a problem of amoralism for Aristotle???
what if someone has the wrong virtues???
what are the right virtues???
how decide on the right virtues??? what is the function of man???
how do we ensure that people behave virtuously???
moral education
metaphysical biology � man�s function (telos)
is having the same action under different descriptions a particular problem for virtue theory???
how do you pick the virtues???
virtue theory vs virtue ethics??? virtue ethics wider definition???
what about the virtues of a counter-culture, e.g. Hell�s Angels??? or a tradition of fascism??? is there a perspectivce outside the tradition to criticise from???
virtue theory � theory of rightness for rival Kant/consequentialism
the right act is the act a virtuous person would do
perhaps the most important criterion for an ethical theory for me, as someone who has faith in his moral intuitions, is the extent that an ethical theory chimes with those intuitions, and its applicability my life � an action-, rather than character-based approach loses out particularly in this latter respect
how does well-being fit in??? what about Raz�s theory of well-being???
how did Aristotle choose his virtues???
all constitutive of eudaimonia, rational activity
no � it was according to his metaphysical biology, wasn't it � was that substantive/generative enough on its own though???
justice = balancing different goods (kind of a super-virtue)���������� harmony
justice within the outside + soul
balancing the different elements of eudaimonia
balancing the different interests of people, the proportion of goods that people receive