Aristotle and Virtue Ethics

Summary

This lecture explores Aristotle's virtue ethics, contrasting it with teleological and deontological theories. Aristotle emphasizes that humans are rational political animals, aiming for eudaimonia or flourishing. Virtue is achieved through practice, balancing actions between extremes to reach a rational mean. Unlike Plato, Aristotle rejects innate knowledge, asserting that moral virtues are developed through habituation.

Takeaways

• 📚 The lecture introduces Aristotle's virtue ethics as part of the normative ethical theories, contrasting it with teleological and deontological theories.
• 🔍 Socrates believed virtue equated to knowledge, suggesting that knowing what virtue is would lead to its embodiment.
• 🤔 Plato expanded on Socrates' view, incorporating the concept of 'weakness of the will' and a tripartite theory of the soul where rationality must govern to achieve virtue.
• 🏛️ Aristotle diverged from Plato by rejecting metaphysical dualism and the theory of an immortal soul, viewing the soul as the animating force of the body.
• 🌿 The Greek word 'aretae' translates to 'virtue' or 'excellence', emphasizing character traits that make a person an excellent human being and a good citizen.
• 🏛️ Ancient Greeks valued social virtues like courage, temperance, justice, wisdom, and piety, integral to being a good citizen and contributing to the polis.
• 🔧 Aristotle's ontology starts with the particular, not the universal, viewing particulars as 'primary substances' and their properties as 'secondary substances'.
• 🎯 Aristotle's teleology posits that everything has a function or end, and understanding this end is crucial for understanding virtue.
• 🌟 The ultimate goal of politics, according to Aristotle, is to establish conditions for the happiness (flourishing) of citizens, which he terms 'eudaimonia'.
• 🚶‍♂️ Humans are rational political animals; their end is to live a rational life, and to achieve this, they must develop virtues through practice and habituation.
• 🎻 Virtue for Aristotle is a mean between extremes of behavior, and moral virtues are achieved through consistent practice, akin to mastering a skill like playing the violin.

Q & A

What are the three main headings under which ethical theories are organized?

The three main headings under which ethical theories are organized are teleological, deontological, and virtue theories.

What do teleological theories claim about the goodness of actions?

Teleological or consequentialist theories claim that goodness is to be found in some consequence of our actions and that the ends justify the means.

How do deontological theories differ from teleological theories?

Deontological theories reject the teleological approach, holding that the ends never justify the means.

What is the central concern of virtue theories according to the script?

Virtue theories argue that character formation should be the central concern of moral theory.

What does Socrates seem to have believed about virtue and knowledge?

Socrates seemed to have believed that virtue or human excellence is a kind of knowledge and that this knowledge was sufficient for actually being virtuous.

How does Plato's view of virtue differ from Socrates'?

While Plato agrees with Socrates that virtue is a kind of knowledge, he incorporates the concept of weakness of the will into his moral theory, suggesting that one can possess the knowledge to be virtuous without being able to act on it.

What are the five cardinal virtues identified by ancient Greeks?

The five cardinal virtues identified by ancient Greeks are courage, temperance, justice, wisdom, and piety.

What is the Greek word for 'virtue' and what does it imply about normative ethics?

The Greek word for 'virtue' is 'aretae', which is why this branch of normative ethics is sometimes called 'aratic ethics'. A virtue is a disposition of one's character that is praiseworthy.

How does Aristotle's theory of virtue differ from both Socrates' and Plato's?

Aristotle's theory of virtue differs significantly as he rejects Plato's metaphysical dualism and the theory of the immortal soul. He believes that humans are not born with innate knowledge of how to live virtuously but must develop virtues through practice.

What does Aristotle mean by the 'final cause' of something?

Aristotle's concept of the 'final cause' refers to the purpose or end for which something exists, which is critical to understanding his theory of virtue.

What is the ultimate goal of the state according to Aristotle?

The ultimate goal of the state, according to Aristotle, is to establish the conditions for the happiness (flourishing) of its citizens.

How does Aristotle define 'happiness' and how does it relate to human flourishing?

Aristotle defines 'happiness' (eudaimonia) as flourishing or reaching one's highest potential, not as a subjective psychological state but as a state of doing well or achieving excellence.

What is the role of reason in achieving the final end for humans according to Aristotle?

According to Aristotle, reason is necessary for humans to form the appropriate social organizations that enable individuals to live fully as humans and achieve their final end.

How does Aristotle describe the process of becoming virtuous?

Aristotle describes the process of becoming virtuous as one of practice and habituation, where one aims for the mean between extremes of behavior and through repeated practice, virtuous action becomes a habitual state.