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Lecture 10: Virtue Ethics - David Agler

Lecture 10: Virtue Ethics David Agler 1 L e c tu r e 1 0 : Virtue Ethics I. Summary of Lecture 9 Virtue Ethics a. The New Question i. How should one be vs. how should one act b. aristotle s Two Principles i. All action seeks some end (teleological) ii. The good is that which all actions seek. c. Notion of Subordination and the Greatest Good i. Greatest Good (Eudaimonia) 1. Completeness (finality + inclusivity) 2. Self-sufficiency (fullness, nothing absent) 3. Not merely feeling good, but also doing good. a. Excellent action + excellent feeling d. aristotle s Function Argument and the Notion of Virtue i. The Function Argument 1. Function of objects capable of acting or being acted upon 2. Proper function of the human being is reason.

Lecture 10: Virtue Ethics –David Agler 1 Lecture 10: Virtue Ethics . I. Summary of Lecture 9 – Virtue Ethics ... Aristotles Function Argument and the Notion of Virtue i. The Function Argument ... What are the virtues i. Different types 1. Cardinal – thought to be the pivotal virtues necessary for a good life. a. Justice – the morally ...

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Transcription of Lecture 10: Virtue Ethics - David Agler

1 Lecture 10: Virtue Ethics David Agler 1 L e c tu r e 1 0 : Virtue Ethics I. Summary of Lecture 9 Virtue Ethics a. The New Question i. How should one be vs. how should one act b. aristotle s Two Principles i. All action seeks some end (teleological) ii. The good is that which all actions seek. c. Notion of Subordination and the Greatest Good i. Greatest Good (Eudaimonia) 1. Completeness (finality + inclusivity) 2. Self-sufficiency (fullness, nothing absent) 3. Not merely feeling good, but also doing good. a. Excellent action + excellent feeling d. aristotle s Function Argument and the Notion of Virtue i. The Function Argument 1. Function of objects capable of acting or being acted upon 2. Proper function of the human being is reason.

2 Ii. Definit ion o f Virtue 1. a trait or character, manifested in habitual activity, that is sought and is indicative of excellent action. iii. The Function Argument with the notion of Virtue 1. A good human, reasons well. e. Doctrine of the Mean i. We reach the state of living well by finding the mean between the extremes of excess and deficiency. II. Lecture 10 Virtue Ethics Continued a. What are the virtues i. Different types 1. cardinal thought to be the pivotal virtues necessary for a good life. a. Justice the morally right assignment of good and bad things; fair treatment to individuals under the law. b. Fortitude/Courage/Strength/Bravery c. Temperance moderation or self-restraint d.

3 Prudence usually understood as the exercise of sound judgment in practical affairs. 2. Theological virtues certain excellences that allow or ease entrance from this world into a heavenly one. Sometimes held that these are virtues that we can only be given by divine grace, not a result of human acquiring. a. Faith type of mentally belief with sustained confidence; assurance of things not seen or that we lack evidence of. i. Example: Belief in God or Heaven. We believe that acting in this way will get us to a place we have no solid evidence of. Lecture 10: Virtue Ethics David Agler 2 b. Hope type of desire for something with corresponding behavior that is guided by the expectation of receiving it.

4 I. Example: Hope that we can solve a certain mathemat ical or scientific puzzle. We hope that we can get it, but there is no assurance that we will ever get to the bottom of any particular puzzle. ii. Reason or evidence that leads us to believe that a certain reality or ideal can be actualized. c. Love/Charity (agape) unlimited loving-kindness towards all others. Not a discriminatory or partial attitude, but one that involves a certain exuberant and flourishing sympathy towards things. 3. Capital virtues a. Humility b. Liberality c. Brotherly love d. Meekness e. Chastity f. Temperance g. Diligence 4. Some of aristotle s a. Courage/Bravery b. Temperance c. Liberality d. Amiability e. Sincerity f.

5 Wit g. Modesty h. Magnanimity ii. Analysis of the Virtue of Bravery 1. Response to the Feeling of Fear a. Feeling that leads to action i. Natural Human Emotion 1. Usually a warning that there is danger 2. Fear of Illusions: Movies, Ghosts, Hell 3. Degrees of Fear a. Hierarchy of fear: Death, loss of a loved one, loss of a limb, intense pain, slight pain, lose of an unimportant possession b. What type of action do we want? i. Extreme: Rashness, Madness, Over-confidence, Foolhardiness ii. Deficiency: Cowardice, Scardicatness, iii. Mean: Courage or Bravery 2. What matters is how we act when we have this feeling a. Bravery standing firm against frightening things because we know that running away is shameful and pushing through is honorable.

6 B. Motivation is important i. Brave Person is Motivated by Lecture 10: Virtue Ethics David Agler 3 1. That performing the action will be doing something fine 2. That not performing the action is shameful. ii. We need to be motivated by these two things not compelled 1. Not compelled by fear: A matter of standing firm (choosing what is fine and avoiding shame), not running from fear 2. Example: Commander threatening his troops to push forward. 3. Example: Saw your own leg off to survive or die of starvation. 3. First Motivation: Notion of Shame (Falling short of the mark) a. A feeling that one did not do what one ought to have done; b. a certain violation, not necessarily of one s duty, but what would have made a person excellent.

7 C. Psycho logical sense of disappointment. d. We have an idea of what is good; something that we aspire to. e. An expectation the community and we put on ourselves 4. Second Motivation: Notion of Doing Something Fine a. A feeling that one did what one aimed at the right action. b. Doesn t necessarily involve the accomplishment of that aim, but the realization that one acted in an excellent manner given their powers. c. Doesn t reduce simply to intent i. We often intend to do the right thing, but make silly mistakes ii. Or fall short of the mark that we think we could have corrected if we had direct previous actions differently. iii. Example: Good grade on the SAT if we would have paid more attention in high school.

8 D. A combination of the idea that we had the right intent and personal accomplishment. 5. What matters is how we act when we have a feeling of fear a. Bravery: standing firm against things frightening because we know it is honorable and we know that running away is shameful. 6. Imposters Things that Look like Bravery but really are something else a. The Experienced: Those with a lot of experience in a given situat ion i. They may are only confidant because they have more experience in a given situation 1. Example: Experienced soldier against an inexperienced one. 2. Example: Spelling test against a child ii. Illusion of bravery; there is not the necessary condition of fear. b. Overly Hopeful People Lecture 10: Virtue Ethics David Agler 4 i.

9 You haven t studied for your test, but you are hopeful that it will be easy. Or you hope that the teacher will pick the questions you know. ii. Not bravery, and not necessarily self-delusion, just a hope that things will be easy. iii. Once again, there is no fear because the fear disappears by hoping too much. iv. Connected to belief that one is lucky or blessed. c. Ignorant People i. Acting with the wrong idea about a situation ii. Those who act in ignorance also appear brave, and indeed they are close to hopeful people, though inferior to them insofar as they lack the self-esteem of hopeful people. That is why the hopeful stand firm for some time, whereas ignorant people have been deceived and then realize or suspect things are different, they run.

10 That was what happened to the Argives when they stumbled on the Spartans and took them for Sicyonians. d. Drunks i. Possibly a combination of hope and ignorance ii. Thinking you can fight a guy at a bar who is in a trench coat. 1. You see him, doesn t look tough 2. In your incapacitated state, you think you could beat him up. iii. Analysis of the Virtue of Generosity 1. Involves the mean with respect to both giving and taking of wealth. a. Deficiency: Ungenerosity, stinginess, miserliness, tightfisted, greediness, hoarding your money, money-loving, b. Extreme: wastefulness, overindulgence, c. Mean: Generosity 2. Whatever you can use or is capable of being taken, can be used/take well or badly. a. Riches i.


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