Virtue as an Ethical Concept
The objective of this study is to examine virtue as an ethical concept. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy states that virtue ethics is a "broad term for theories that emphasize the role of character and virtue in moral philosophy rather than either doing one's duty or acting in order to bring about good consequences." (2014, p. 1)
Virtue Defined
The virtue ethics theorist adheres to Aristotle's definition of the virtuous person as being "someone who has ideal character traits. These traits derive from natural internal tendencies, but need to be nurtured; however, once established, they will become stable." (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2014, p. 1)
Examples of Virtue
The virtuous person has behavior that demonstrates such traits as kindness, honesty and fairness. For example, it is reported that the virtuous person is "someone who is kind across many situations over a lifetime because that is her character and not because she wants to maximize utility or gain favors to do her duty." (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2014, p. 1) The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy reports that a virtue "such as honesty or generosity is not just a tendency to do what is honest or generous, nor is it to be helpfully specified as a "desirable" or "morally valuable" character trait. It is indeed a character trait -- that is, a disposition...
Deontological ethics are based on other theories that focus on duty and obligation. Immanuel Kant (1785) argued that an individual should "always act in such a way that you can also will that the maxim of your action become universal law" (p. v). It can be argued that Kant's arguments are echoed in a quote often attributed to Ghandi, "Be the change you want to see in the world"
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