Ethics VI:
Virtue Theory in
Practice
Rosalind Hursthouse: “Virtue Theory and Abortion”
Hursthouse’s Central Program
• Hursthouse seeks to apply an Aristotelian approach to virtue
theory to the morality of abortion.
• In particular, Hursthouse claims she is not attempting to argue
that a virtue theory approach is the correct approach to the
issue, but rather that she is simply trying to show how a virtue
theorist would approach the topic.
Outline of Ethical Approaches
Deontology
P1
An action is right if it is in accordance
with a moral rule or principle.
P2 A moral rule is one that…
i. …is laid on us by God; or
ii. …is required by natural law; or
iii. …is laid on us by reason; or
iv. …is required by rationality; or
v. …would command universal
rational acceptance; or
vi. …would be the object of choice
of all rational beings.
Forges a link between
right action and moral
rule.
Forges a link between
moral rule and
rationality.
Outline of Ethical Approaches
Act Utilitarianism
P1
P2
An action is right if it promotes the
best consequences.
The best consequences are those in
which happiness is maximized.
Forges a link between
right action and
consequences.
Forges a link between
consequences and
happiness.
Outline of Ethical Approaches
Virtue Theory
P1
An action is right if it is what a
virtuous agent would do in the
circumstances.
P1a A virtuous agent is one who acts
virtuously, that is, one who has an
exercises the virtues.
P2 A virtue is a character train a human
being needs to flourish or live well.
Forges a link between
right action and the
virtuous agent.
Forges a link between
virtue and flourishing/
living well/
eudaimonia.
Virtue Theory
• Virtue theory avoids the complaint of circularity by specifying
right action in terms of the virtuous agent, she in terms of
virtues, and these as characteristics required for eudaimonia.
• As such, virtue theory is concerned both with “What should I
do?” and “What kind of person should I be?”
 Every virtue generates a positive instruction, and every vice
a prohibition.
 The agent may skip emulating some virtuous agent, and
instead ask herself, “If I were to do such-and-such now,
would I be action justly or unjustly, kindly or unkindly… etc.”
Virtue Theory (cont’d)
• The point of emulating the virtuous agent is that acting
morally calls for moral wisdom, which is acquired through
experience, and is not typically found in youths who have had
little life experience.
 Hursthouse seems to indicate this comes down to a
familiarity with the subtleties of the virtues.
 “A normative theory which any clever adolescent can apply,
or which reaches practical conclusions that are in no way
determined by premisses about what is truly worthwhile,
serious, and so on, is guaranteed to be an inadequate
theory.” (597)
Some Problems Defending Virtue Theory
1) The concept of eudaimonia is obscure, but no less obscure
than the foundational concepts of deontology (rationality)
and utilitarianism (happiness).
2) It is always possible for one to argue that some given
characteristic (justice, charity, courage, etc.) is not a
virtue—that it has been rejected as such by some culture.
Here, virtue theory must stick its neck out and say, well, this
culture is simply wrong, and provide some argument.
3) Virtue theory will certainly encounter cases of “unresolvable
conflict” –where some circumstance requires following
some one virtue and thus rejecting another. The same issue
seems to threaten deontology.
Virtue Theory & Abortion
Hursthouse claims not to be trying to solve the “problem of
abortion” but to illustrate how virtue theory directs one to think
about it.
• Traditionally, the ethics of abortion focus on two issues:
1) The status of the fetus, and whether it is the sort of thing
that may be justifiably killed (e.g., whether it is a person,
whether it has rights, etc.).
2) Women’s rights (e.g. what they are, and how far they
extend).
A virtue theory approach eliminates each of these issues as
“fundamentally irrelevant.”
Virtue Theory & Abortion (cont’d)
 Whether or not women have total and complete rights to their
bodies does not seem to be a factor in whether they are acting
rightly or wrongly—virtuously or viciously:
 “[I]n exercising a moral right I can do something cruel, or
callous, or selfish, light-minded, self-righteous, stupid,
inconsiderate, disloyal, dishonest—that is, act viciously.” (598)
 The status of a fetus is an extremely difficult metaphysical issue.
 But to act virtuously would not seem to rely on one’s having
deep metaphysical knowledge about the object of one’s
actions.
 As such, the answer to such a question cannot be relevant to
the rightness or wrongness of abortion.
 Rather, what are relevant are the “familiar biological facts”
pertaining to abortion.
Virtue Theory & Abortion (cont’d)
 What we should be asking is, how do the familiar biological
facts figure into the practical reasoning, actions and passions,
thoughts and reactions of the virtuous and the non-virtuous?
 What does it mean to have the right or wrong attitude
towards such facts?
 What facts
 e.g. “that human parents […] tend to care passionately
about their offspring.” (599)
 e.g. “that family relationships are among the deepest and
strongest in our lives—and, significantly, among the longestlasting.” (ibid)
 Relevantly, we should maintain the right attitude towards life,
family, and motherhood.
Virtue Theory & Abortion (cont’d)
 Obviously, pregnancy is not just one physical condition among
many, and abortion not comparable to a haircut or an
appendectomy.
 “[P]remature termination of a pregnancy is, in some sense,
the cutting-off of a new human life, and thereby […]
connects with all our thoughts about human life and
death…” and so is a serious matter. (599)
 Our attitudes regarding the fetus change as it develops, when it
is born, and as the baby grows.
 As such, abortion for shallow reasons in later stages will be
more shocking than abortion in early stages, as will
miscarriage in later stages rather than earlier.
Virtue Theory & Abortion (cont’d)
 When pregnancy, childbearing, or childrearing will conflict with
the woman’s physical health or physically demanding job, her
seeking an abortion cannot be described as self-indulgent,
callous, or irresponsible—as showing a lack of serious respect
for human life or motherhood.
 What this shows is rather that something is very wrong with
the woman’s life “which makes it so hard to recognize
pregnancy and childbearing as the good that they can be.”
(601)
 That is, there is something that seriously restricts her from
living her life well.
Virtue Theory & Abortion (cont’d)
 “The familiar facts support the view that parenthood in general,
and motherhood and childbearing in particular, are among the
things that can be correctly thought to be partially constitutive
of a flourishing human life. If this is right, then a woman who
opts for not being a mother […] by opting for an abortion many
thereby be manifesting a flawed grasp of what her life should
be, and be about.” (601)
 The good of motherhood may conflict with another
worthwhile pursuit, but where it conflicts with either a false,
irresponsible, or unrealizable goal, failing to pursue this
virtue will be the wrong act.
Virtue Theory & Abortion (cont’d)
 One who gets pregnant without the intent of bearing a child will
usually lack some virtuous character—responsibility, seriousmindedness, and so on.
 As such, even where securing an abortion is not a vicious
act, the guilt such women often feel is understandable.
 Similar issues arise for men involved in a case of abortion.