This paper examines virtue as an ethical concept, drawing on Aristotle's foundational definition of the virtuous person as one who possesses stable, well-established character traits. Using resources from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the paper defines virtue ethics broadly and then explores three specific virtues in depth: kindness, honesty, and fairness. The paper concludes that while each virtue has independent merit, no single trait is sufficient to qualify a person as truly virtuous. A genuinely virtuous individual must embody multiple virtues consistently across situations and relationships.
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).
The virtue ethics theorist adheres to Aristotle's definition of the virtuous person as "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).
The virtuous person exhibits behavior that demonstrates traits such as kindness, honesty, and fairness. The virtuous person is described as "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 or 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 which is well entrenched in its possessor, something that as we say 'goes all the way down,' unlike a habit such as being a tea-drinker — but the disposition in question, far from being a single-track disposition to do honest actions, or even honest actions for certain reasons, is multi-track. It is concerned with many other actions as well, with emotions and emotional reactions, choices, values, desires, perceptions, attitudes, interests, expectations and sensibilities. To possess a virtue is to be a certain sort of person with a certain complex mindset" (2014, p. 1).
Joseph B. Wirthlin, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, writes that kindness "is the essence of a celestial life. Kindness is how a Christlike person treats others. Christ instructed his followers to do unto others as they would have done unto them. In other words, treat others as one wants to be treated" (Wirthlin, 2014, p. 1).
Kindness is a virtue because it requires the individual to consistently attempt to view life from the perspective of those they interact with, so that they are able to respond to others in a way that is sensitive to each person's individual and unique point of view.
"Honesty as refusal to fake reality"
"Justice and fairness as Greek virtues"
This study has examined virtue as an ethical concept, likened to Aristotle's definition of the person who is virtuous based upon having character traits that are not only ideal but inherent in the individual — ingrained into their personality and their manner of engaging with life and with others. Three aspects of virtue have been examined: honesty, kindness, and fairness, with each virtue described and supported with examples.
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