Virtue Theory - Aristotle

1. Ethics::

2. Virtue
Ethics::
Aristotle
Architecture 2207
Abalos, Daevid C.
Balagat, Ronnie Shannon N.
Banasihan, Patricia Mae B.

3. INTRODUCTION::
Intended Learning Outcomes:
1. Recognize the meaning of Eudaimonia
and its relation to Ethics.
2. Differentiate the parts of the soul in
relation to their respective functions;
3. Appreciate and articulate the role of virtue
in crafting an ethical life; and
4. Articulate the difference between
philosophical knowledge and practical
wisdom.
What is?
Ethics:
Virtue:
Virtue
Ethics:

4. Ethics:
Virtue:
Comes from the Greek word Ethos, which
means custom, a characteristic, or
habitual way of doing things derived form
one’s character.
Ethics is a matter of living well through
habitual practice of virtue which translates
into having a virtous or excellent
character
“Madaling maging tao, mahirap
magpakatao.”
Virtue
Ethics:

5. Virtue
Ethics:
A good moral quality in a person, or
the general quality of being morally good
The Greek word for virtue is Arête which
means excellence.
Result of proper combination of practical
wisdom (Phronesis) and habituation
(ethos) in the pursuit of the mean
(mesotes)
Virtue:

6. Virtue
Ethics:
The Greek Philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C), wrote the
Nicomachean Ethics that distinguishes the human person
from other forms of being is his/her possession of reason
(Logos).
Ethical Theory that emphasizes an individual’s character rather
than following a set of rules.
“Morality is not a matter of knowing the good but
actually doing or practicing the good habitually.”
-ARISTOTLE

7. Traits
Product of consistent
display of a particular
behavior.
Characte
r
Product of action in
the world; product of
practice - a constant
doing or way of being.
Personality
Approach or way of
reckoning the different
situations that one
faces in his life- a way
of navigating one’s way
towards his flourishing
as a human person

8. Aristotle &
Nicomachea
n Ethics

9. NAME:
Aristotle
PLACE OF BIRTH
Stagira, Chalcidice, Greece
OCCUPATION:
Philosopher
EDUCATION:
Plato’s Academy, Lyceum

10. BACKGROUND
Aristotle
o Greek Philosopher who wrote Nicomachean ethics,
Plato’s most prolific student
Nicomachean Ethics- book dedicated to his son
Nicomachus
Nicomachus- his father; student of natural history and a
physician; served under Amnytas II, king of Macedonia
Amnytas - father of Philip the Great
Philip the Great- grandfather to Alexander the Great

11. o Served to royal family as tutor to young Alexander the
Great
o We can only fully actualize our potential as human
being essentially aims to and do the necessary things to
fulfill our function (ergon) in the most excellent way
possible
o His ethics is grounded in the formation of one's
character- a way of being and living in harmony with
the human person's proper end.
o Proper good of the human person is achievable in this
world through the practical cultivation of virtue (arete)

12. NICOMACHEAN
ETHICS:
A handbook for those who seek to build and
cultivate one’s character in the hope of achieving
life’s ultimate goal (Telos), which he says is
happiness or flourishing. (Eudaimonia).
We can only fully actualize our potential as
human being essentially aims to and do the
necessary things to fulfill our function (ergon) in
the most excellent way possible

13. Ethics as the
Art of Living
Well

14. Eudaimonia Aristotle names the chief good for the
human person is happiness or eudaimonia.
Happiness is the self-sufficient, final, and
attainable goal of human life.
Eudaimonia, as the proper end of man, is
not some kind of inactive state but is
actually something that one does.
“Eudaimonia is an activity
of the soul in accordance
with virtue.”
-Aristotle

15. Eudaimonia
:
Happiness is the chief good of human person is attainable through
proper exercise of reason both morally and intellectually.
Eudaimonia is activity of the soul that attempts to choose the mean
between two extremes in realm of morality.
Therefore, happiness is not mere self-indulgence or pleasure-seeking
for Aristotle. It denotes an activity that essentially corresponds to the
proper nature of the human being.
g

16. g
The Soul:
Aristotle defines the soul as a part of human being that
animates the body; Body and soul are inseparable.
The soul composed of both rational and irrational elements.
Rational part - This is the part responsible for reason (logos).
Its virtues include theoretical wisdom (Sophia), understanding
(Sunesis), and practical wisdom (Phronesis).
Irrational part – Aristotle says that this part of the soul is not
relevant in discussing happiness or virtue.

17. The soul according to the Nicomachean Ethics:
It is responsible for
knowledge; concerned
with pure thought and
the base of
contemplation
RATIONAL
PRACTICAL
SPECULATIVE
IRRATIONAL
APPETETIVE
VEGETATIVE
SOUL
Responsible or
choice and action;
charge of action and
practical
determination of the
proper means to
attain a specific end
In charge of the nutrition
and growth of human
being; takes acre of all
involuntary functions of
the body from breathing
to digestion
shares the rational
element of the soul;
cannot reason itself
but influenced by it
like passion such as
desire for wealth are
different to control.

18. Virtue, the Mean
&
Practical
Wisdom;

19. c
Virtue
Comes from the Greek word Arete means
excellence.
By excellence, the Greek thought of how a thing
fulfills its function (Ergon) in accordance with its
nature
Virtuous
To exhibit one's
capacity to fulfill one's essence
or purpose in such a way that
one's potentiality as a particular
being may be said to be
actualized in the most excellent
way.

20. c
Virtue
Aristotle says that there are two kinds of
virtues - moral and intellectual virtue.
Moral Virtue Intellectual
Virtue
Got its name (Ethike) by slight alteration of
the term habit (ethos)
Has to do with excellence in performance
of decision relating to moral and practical
activity; arises from habitual practice
(ethos)
Has to do with one's capacity
to harness reason's
contemplative capacity for
arriving at knowledge; owes
its existence and
development to teaching

21. “No Person is born morally virtuous. However,
all persons have the latent potentiality to be so.”
Virtue

22. Moral
Exemplars:
Moral exemplars, like other role models, affect people in three
key ways: They act as behavioral models that provide examples
of how one could behave, they show what is possible, and they
inspire.
Aristotle says that moral virtue states of character that enable
person to fulfill his proper function as a human being.

23. Golden Mean
The virtuous person is able to arrive at a decision or
perform an action that may be considered as an
intermediate between deficiency and excess, which
he calls the Mean or Mesotes.
“It is precisely the person’s capacity to read
situations that makes him/her virtuous.”

24. VICE (defect) VIRTUE (mean) VICE (excess) PERTAINING TO
cowardice courage recklessness fear & confidence
insensibility self-control self-indulgence pleasure & pain
stinginess generosity extravagance small amounts of $
niggardliness magnificence gaudiness large amounts of $
small-mindedness high-mindedness vanity honor & dishonor
apathy gentleness short temper anger
self-depreciation truthfulness boastfulness truth about oneself
boorishness wittiness buffoonery
pleasantness (in
amusement)
grouchiness friendliness obsequiousness, flattery pleasantness (in daily life)
shamelessness modesty “abashed at everything” sense of shame
spite righteous indignation envy
pleasure & pain at
fortunes of others

25. “To be morally virtuous, one must be able to
respond to situations not just with the correct
feeling or action but in the proper degree, at the
right time, towards the right people and for the
right reasons.”
Mean

26. q
Practical Wisdom
Practical Wisdom (Phronêsis) is the human
person’s instrument in dealing with moral
choices; kind of knowledge that deals with
practical matters and not just with ideas
and concepts.
Phronêsis is the intellectual virtue
responsible for bringing the human person
closer to his/her chief good in the realm of
morality; it aids one in being happy.

27. q
Aristotle says that for one to
attain chief good, the person
must continually bring
himself/herself to situations
where his/her mettle and skills
may be tested.
For instance :
Courage is a learned
intellectual and
practical skill.
Mesotes &
Phronesis

28. Contemplation &
Philosophical
Knowledge

29. Contemplation is an act that can be loved for its
own sake because it has no other aim than to
reveal the most fundamental truth of existence.
If the practical wisdom serves as a guide for action
in everyday life, the act of contemplation is a
pursuit of philosophical wisdom
Contemplati
on
“No person may be considered happier than a person who
has the time and the leisurely disposition for contemplation.”
b v

30. b
Philosophizing- the most pleasant of virtuous activities because it does
not rely on anything else for its fulfillment other than the desire to do it;
the most self-sufficient act
Philosophical
Knowledge
v
Practical virtues such as courage and temperance need specific
conditions to be attained, while philosophy is something a person can
do anytime by himself/herself anytime.

31. v
Conclusio
n:

32. Ethics::
“Eudaimonia (happiness) is the meaning of
life and the purpose of life, the whole aim
and the end of human existence.”
-Aristotle

33. Virtue
Ethics::
Aristotle
Architecture 2207
Abalos, Daevid C.
Balagat, Ronnie Shannon N.
Banasihan, Patricia Mae B.