The Theory of Virtue Ethics

Paper Summary:

The paper looks at the views of Plato, Aristotle, Elisabeth Anscombe and Alasdair MacIntyre on virtues and defines the strengths and weaknesses of virtue ethics when applying the virtues to real life. The paper shows how there are no concrete rules for people to follow, yet the theory is more practical than other normative theories because it is agent-centered and based around the type of person one is.

From the Paper:

"Virtue ethics originated from the well known philosophers Aristotle and Plato and is based on the concept of being virtuous and achieving virtues. A virtue is a character trait of excellence that leads people to making the right choices and to happiness, to be a virtue it must have a good end. For example, a terrorist may have the virtue of courage but their actions lead to death and this is not considered a good end, the terrorist would therefore not be considered virtuous."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Oliphant, Jill;M. OCR Religious Ethics for AS and A2 (Ocr). New York: Routledge, 2008.
• Bowie, Bob. Ethical Studies. Philadelphia: Trans-Atlantic Publications, Inc., 2004.

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