Chapter 6 – Ethics: How Can I Be a Better Person?

In this chapter, the authors discuss virtue ethics and various ethical systems centered on virtue. They explore four specific ethical systems: Aristotle’s virtue ethics, Aquinas’s Christian version of Aristotelian virtue ethics, Buddhist virtue ethics, and Daoist and Confucian virtue ethics. Each system presents a different perspective on what it means to live as a good person.

Virtue ethics, unlike other ethical approaches that emphasize following rules or considering consequences, focuses on the development of oneself as a good person. Rather than simply following ethical rules or considering the consequences of actions, virtue ethicists prioritize cultivating ethical values and becoming a virtuous person. They emphasize qualities such as honesty, trustworthiness, and generosity as essential to living a good life.

Virtue ethics also emphasizes the role of wisdom in making ethical decisions, as ethical actions depend on individual situations. Virtue ethicists advocate for cultivating wisdom and character to make ethical decisions based on internalized ethical principles rather than following a set of universal ethical rules. They believe that ethical principles are inherent in the world and discoverable through rational reflection and disciplined living.

This essay delves into Aristotle’s perspective on excellence and flourishing. According to Aristotle, everything has an end or goal toward which it naturally moves, and human beings’ purpose is to pursue their proper end, eudaimonia, which is best understood as human flourishing or living well. Human flourishing, in Aristotle’s view, involves acting in ways that allow one’s essential human nature to achieve its most excellent form of expression. Aristotle believed that a good life of lasting contentment can only be achieved through a life of virtue, practical wisdom, and excellence.

Overall, this essay is a comprehensive overview of virtue ethics, different ethical systems related to virtue, and the significance of wisdom and character in making ethical decisions. It also delves into Aristotle’s perspective on human excellence and flourishing, offering valuable insights into the concept of virtue.