Virtues Of Happiness Moral Ethics - 856 Words

Virtues of Happiness Moral Ethics An individual’s virtue ethics does not depend on the society that they live in, the spirituality that they follow, or their culture/upbringing; but they depend exclusively on the individuals themselves. Aristotle introduced moral ethics theory in his Nicomachean Ethics books. The idea of ethics is questioning long term goals, ‘what sort of person do I want to be’ instead of instantaneous decisions that question ‘what should I do in this situation?’ Virtues are not so much to do with right or wrong but rather where that decision is coming from. What is in the heart of the person that answers/acts is what matters in the virtuous world. Instead of concentrating on what is the right thing to do, virtue ethics asks how you can be a better person. According to Aristotle this pursuit of constantly trying to improve one’s self to be a better person is what true happiness is in life, as he underlines in his own definition of happiness: â€Å"happiness is a certain activity of the soul in conformity with perfect virtue.† (1) (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics Book 1). As it is with all things, the more you practice something, the better you will be at it. Virtues are not born into us, so the same principle of habits applies to our development of a virtuous life or to a person’s behavior throughout their lives. The more you develop the habit of acting virtuous, the closer you will become to achieving a virtuous life. This is a lifelong commitment as a personShow MoreRelatedVirtue Vs. Moral Virtue938 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is virtue? Is it something we can all comprehend? Is it part of our soul, mind or bodies? Perhaps it’s a type of lifestyle where we act a certain way and treat everyone equally. Or maybe it’s a belief or religion which carries its own sets of rules and regulations. Many individuals are mistaken for the true definition of virtue; virtue is a theory used to make moral decisions which leads to happiness. Moral virtue is to be learned through habit and practice, which makes one into a better personRead MoreEth ics Of Caring And Virtue910 Words   |  4 PagesEthics of Caring and Virtue Ethics of virtue is the belief that if a person wants to be considered good, they do good things (Pollock, 1988). In ethics of virtue, happiness is always the outcome of a situation. The main premise of virtue theory lies upon three main principles; virtues, practical wisdom and eudemonia. A virtue is a mean state which lays between two vices. A virtue is a characteristic a virtuous person possesses, for example courage. Courage is a virtue which lays between cowardiceRead MoreAristotle on Happiness and Virtue Essay1749 Words   |  7 Pagesdiscussions. The most ancient and long-lasting literature on moral principles and ethics were described by Greek philosopher Aristotle. He had an excellent command on various subjects ranging from sciences to mathematics and philosophy. He was also a student of a famous philosopher. His most important study on ethics, personal morality and virtues is ‘The Nicomachean Ethics’, which has been greatly influencing works of litera ture in ethics and heavily read for centuries, is believed to be written 2000Read MoreAristotle : Aristotle And The Moral Values Of Aristotle1725 Words   |  7 Pages chemistry, ethics, metaphysics, history, logic, philosophy of science, rhetoric, philosophy of the mind, poetics, psychology, physics, zoology and political theory. Aristotle’s understanding of moral virtues is that it stands between the great divide of a set of characteristics being a state of excessiveness and a state of lacking there of a virtue; if not all virtues. For example, if a person displays courage, then that deems it a moral virtue according to humanities code of ethics. But when courageRead MoreVirtue Duty Vs Virtue1009 Words   |  5 PagesDuty and virtue have very immense definitions, from many different aspect of life; therefore, to elucidate the direction of this essay we are going to study the ethical aspects of these two terms. Duty is derived from the Greek term Deontology, so the ethics of duty is actually the sequel of deontological ethics. The same could be said for virtue, a term many tend to use loosely. Both terms, have heavy meanings, but tend not be fully understood. Virtue ethics has its roots dating back to PlatoRead MoreVirtue Ethics1184 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Virtue ethics is a theory used to make moral decisions. It does not rely on religion, society or culture; it only depends on the individuals themselves. The main philosopher of Virtue Ethics is Aristotle. His theory was originally introduced in ancient Greek times. Aristotle was a great believer in virtues and the meaning of virtue to him meant being able to fulfil ones functions. Virtue ethics is not so much interested in the question What should I do? but rather in theRead MoreMoral Virtues Between Aristotle And St. Thomas Aquinas1147 Words   |  5 Pagessuccinctly express and correlate the theories of moral virtues between Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas, analysing and assessing how their beliefs have influenced European culture. Aristotle (384-322BCE) was an ancient Greek Philosopher who was a polymath and productive writer. Despite the fact that it can’t be positive it is commonly accepted the Nichomachean Ethics (NE) are his own works (IEP, 2005), and it is in Book Tow that the topic of virtue and moral values is one of several conferred. St. ThomasRead MoreAristotles Philosophy on Purpose Essay884 Words   |  4 Pagesimpressive. His greatest known works are the Athenian Constitution and Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle’s works of Ethics explore a vast area of topics. He states, â€Å"The goal of the Ethics is to determine how best to achieve happiness.† In order to achieve happiness, one must live a virtuous life, in the mind of Aristotle. Interest is sparked in this area that Aristotle writes of because there is a natural need for Ethics in human life. John K. Roth states, â€Å"Aristotle assumes that all things, human beingsRead MoreIs Torture Morally Wrong?1265 Words   |  6 Pagesmeans of promoting justice by using both the Utilitarian view and the Aristotelian view. Using John Stuart Mills concept of utilitarianism, he focuses on the greatest happiness principle which helps us understand his perspective on torture and whether he believes it is acceptable to do so, and Aristotle uses the method of virtue of ethics to helps us better understand if he is for torture. The term torture shall be determined by exploring both philosophers’ definition of justice, what comprises a â€Å"just†Read MoreUtilatarian, Deontology and Virtue Ethics1618 Words   |  7 Pagesis defined as ethic based on consequences. An act, either it is morally wrong or good is acceptable as long as the end outcome is greater. In this essay on utilitarianism, I would argue Peter Singer’s calculus preferences, equality is for all living being but sacrificing one for greater good is plausible. Counter argument of Immanuel Kant’s moral deontology claim, it is immoral to consider a human being as a means to an end. John Mills’ actions are right as long they promote happiness, wrong if they