Humans flourish more or less as they engage in activity they perceive as more or less meaningful. Activity without objectives would be meaningless. But objectives that give rise to conflicting, damaging, dangerous, or unsustainable sorts of activities undermine or prevent the realization of their own meanings and thus are detrimental to human flourishing. Thus, for Dewey, the worth of an act is never simply equivalent to the worth of its end results. The end results are themselves valuable as giving direction to a course of action that is an ingredient of a more or less richly meaningful lives.
This conception guides Dewey's understanding of deliberation and choice of acts. His criteria for rational selection of ends treats the value of acts and their ends as reciprocal, focusing on the ways in which new projects, goals, or commitments interact with those already undertaken and those we hope to undertake in future. In adopting or revising goals and projects, certain qualities stand out as rationally desirable for changeable, socially interdependent beings like ourselves. Harmoniousness of the activities involved with our ongoing projects is clearly one. Sociability is clearer another. Flexibility in response to unpredicted changes in ourselves or our environment will be rationally desirable in the longer running projects. Additionally, it will be rational to choose some projects that are relatively enduring for the continuity they give to our lives and our sense of self over time. Likewise, it will be rational to ensure that the goals we adopt are such as to engage those dispositions and interests that are most central to the character we have or wish to develop. Thus acts will be more or less rationally desirable as they tend to contribute to a life of meaningful activities that are, over all, harmonious, social, flexible, (relatively) enduring and self-realizing.
Because the good is human flourishing, evaluation can not reasonably focus on conduct to the exclusion of character.
Virtue, what is virtue? ... Virtue is what leads our actions to be good. ... Throughout their investigation they challenge many things to see if they are virtue or a part of virtue. ... Virtue is the primary factor in achieving the perfect good. ... Reaching these virtues will bring man closer to the perfect good. ...
McIntyre agrees that a virtue approach to ethics is the best action. ... He believed that the maximum virtue was to be obtained by the middle way; to swing too much to either side turned the virtue into a vice, either of excess or of deficiency. Consider the virtue of courage. ... " McIntyre's ideas of internal goods are specific to an activity ie; doing something to make a direct difference to the planet in either a minor or significant way. ... A virtuous approach to climate change on a personal level would involve lifestyle changes. ...
Utilitarianism and Kant's philosophy of principle, duty-based ethics and virtue ethics represent three different interpretations and theories however virtue ethics offers more as a basis for living a good ethical life. ... Providing us with another alternative for ethical reasoning is Aristotle's formulation of 'virtue ethics'. ... It's holistic approach focuses on the ethics of the individual considering aspects of the individual's life and circumstances. ... With its individualistic and holistic approach to ethical reasoning, it is a useful theory as we as huma...
A key theme in virtue ethics is the recognition of moral complexity. ... Another key theme in virtue ethics is moral understanding. ... The last key theme in virtue ethics is moral education. ... This outlines the theme of moral complexity in virtue ethics. ... He describes that intellectual virtue is born from and grown by teaching, whereas moral virtue comes to us a result of habit, that we get the virtues by first exercising them. ...
Virtue Ethics Model Advocates for a virtue ethics model, Jordan and Meara (1995) relied on the personal characteristics and wisdom of the professionals making an ethical decision, instead of the ethical principles involved. ... This approach has not been formulated into a format with specific steps, and, again, cultural analyses or implications have not been included in this model. ... Thus, virtue ethics represents a shift from appraisal of the act to the appraisal of the one acting. ... Freeman (2000) emphasized other virtues, such as self-understanding, openness, honesty, and prudent jud...
Virtue is not a capacity either, because virtue involves choice, not abilities. ... True virtue entails finding a mean or balance between the intellectual and moral aspects of virtue... Perfecting virtue is difficult because virtue is considered as a mean state, sitting between two corresponding vices. ... Without virtue morality is impossible. ... Similarly with virtue and morality. ...
Virtue Ethics Model Advocates for a virtue ethics model, Jordan and Meara (1995) relied on the personal characteristics and wisdom of the professionals making an ethical decision, instead of the ethical principles involved. ... This approach has not been formulated into a format with specific steps, and, again, cultural analyses or implications have not been included in this model. ... Thus, virtue ethics represents a shift from appraisal of the act to the appraisal of the one acting. ... Freeman (2000) emphasized other virtues, such as self-understanding, openness, honesty, and prudent jud...
Despite this, virtue ethics experienced somewhat of a revival. ... This is in sharp contrast to the general attitude among modern virtue theorists such as Macintyre who presents virtue ethics in a relative way. Although it may be overboard to describe all other modern virtue ethicists as moral relativists, Nussbaum makes it clear in that she believes a relativist approach is purely incompatible with Aristotle's virtue theory. ... Through this example, we can see how Slote, similarly to Foot, places motive at the foundation of virtue ethics in what is known as 'warm virtue ethics&#...
Throughout his article "Virtue Ethics", he concentrates upon the concepts of virtue and happiness. ... Both virtue and happiness are related to one another, for happiness is achieved through virtues. ... Virtue and happiness are directly related, for virtues are the way of achieving happiness. ... Aristotle states that the best way to attempt at finding the mean is to avoid the extremes, allowing an individual to approach excellence. Aristotle related virtue and happiness in many ways. ...
