The Fundamentals of Ethics

Chapter 17 explores virtue ethics, which claims that moral guidance should come in the shape of moral exemplars, that is, virtuous people. This theory originates from the ancient Greeks in the Western tradition. At its forefront is Aristotle’s work Nicomachean Ethics. According to virtue ethics, an action is considered right if it is performed by a moral exemplar, and it is wrong if the moral exemplar refrains from it. Virtue ethics is part of ethical pluralism: Although it establishes the moral exemplar as the ultimate moral standard, it also believes there are other moral rules that can guide people’s actions. The virtuous exemplar is only called upon when these moral rules clash and people become conflicted about what course of action to take.

Virtue ethicists believe there are no simple rules that determine the morality of any act. The discipline is imprecise, but it is not without logic. To properly understand morality, people first need to acquire moral wisdom. They can achieve this through a combination of life experience, emotional maturity, and intellectual training. Virtue ethicists also believe in the importance of emotions: They can help people determine what is morally important, separate right from wrong, and motivate them to do the right thing.