Aristotle’s philosophy
▪As the sole principal
aretaic theory of
normative ethics, Virtue
Ethics offers an
explanation of what
makes someone a good
or bad person.
Plato’s Perspective in life
BELIEVED THAT:
→ the moral evaluations of daily
life presuppose a: GOOD LIFE
which is independent of :
EXPERIENCE
PERSONALITY
CIRCUNSTANCES
Aristotle’s perspective
▪MORAL PRINCIPLES
are immanent in our
daily activities and
can be discovered
only through a
careful study of them
What people
fundamentally desire is:
HAPPINESS or
EUDAIMONIA
For Aristotle, eudaimonia is the
highest human good, the only
human good that is desirable for its
own sake (as an end in itself) rather
than for the sake of something else
(as a means toward some other end
In his Nicomachean ethics , 2
questions were being pondered
and these are :
1 WHAT IS THE NATURE OF HAPPINESS?
2. WHAT DOES HAPPINESS CONSIST IN?
NICHOMACHEAN ETHICS = Raised the question
ARISTOTLE’S VIRTUE
ETHICS
is ultimately tied to a full
understanding of the
nature of happiness as
humanity’s ultimate goal as
well as the concept of
virtue
concerning: THE
CONDITIONS OF
ITS ATTAINMENT
eventually led
Aristotle to the
discussion of
VIRTUE
It is not only about what is
With virtues like:
* COURAGE AND COWARDICE
*WISDOM AND IGNORANCE
* JUSTICE AND INJUSTICE
* WEAKNESS OF CHARACTER OR STRENGTH OF
CHARACTER
VIRTUE= as the major source of
happiness
MORAL VIRTUE
= is vital to the rational soul of man
Plato and Socrates
HAPPINESS
CONSISTS ONLY
IN “VIRTUOUS
ACTIVITY
Aristotle’s concept
HAPPINESS =
EUDAIMONIA
AND
is the ultimate end of
human life
HAPPINESS OR THE ULTIMATE END
Is genuinely desired for its own sake or without
qualification
ACTIONS which precede this end,
are the most valuable and cannot be superseded by
any actions driven by ordinary kinds of ends
ACTIONS which result in HONOR, WEALTH ,
POWER, is definitely part of man’s inclination
to seek for HAPPINESS (as “pleasure”) BUT
unfortunately, this could not be the end which
EUDAIMONIA = PLEASURE is also good
But ARISTOTLE :
DOES NOT CONDEMN MAN FOR DESIRING
“PLEASURE” for it is a significant part of human
flourishing
THE DESIRE AND ACTIONS THAT LEAD TO:
PLEASURE only presuppose limited value since its
END is TEMPORARY
the satisfaction that one gets from
these actions cannot be truly called
Happiness , which only lead humans
into the pit of the two opposing vices
.(either EXCESS or DEFICIENCY)“
. •. ONLY VIRTUOUS ACTS CAN LEAD
TO TRUE HAPPINESS”
VIRTUE= behavior showing high moral standards
EXAMPLE:
VIRTUE OF PATIENCE OR TRUTHFULNESS
The Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2nd edition defines VIRTUE AS THE
OPPOSITE OF “VICE”
VICE should not be literally understood within the specific context of
social vices:
DRUG ADDICTION GAMBLING EXCESSIVE CIGARETTE SMOKING
VICES are the
two extremes
of the spectrom
1. EXCESS 2
DEFICIENCY
“virtues are the mean or the middle ground
between the excess at the one side and the
deficiency at the other”
EXCESS
V
I
R
T
U
E
DEFICIENCY