The History of Virtue Ethics

There are four major systems of ethical reasoning as we learn in our textbook.  These systems can be categorized into virtue ethics, duties, consequences, and dialogical ethics.  This system of classification as developed by William Neher and Paul Sandin.  As we learn in our book their classification diverges from the norm to highlight the role of communication in ethics.  

Virtue ethics is the oldest of the ethical systems and has roots that stretch back to ancient Greek communities.

Plato and Aristotle are known as some of the founding fathers of virtue ethics.  However, it is also believed that it has roots in ancient Chinese history that pre-date these philosophers.  As we learned in our textbook the Greeks believed strongly in virtue and felt that character played a large role in living a virtuous life.  According to our book, "in virtue ethics, you are virtuous because of your character, which gives you the ability to conduct your life according to the best virtues."  Virtue ethics was used as a dominant approach in Western moral philosophy until at least the Enlightenment.  

Virtue ethics gives a guideline of how people should live their lives without saying exactly how to do it.    As our book tells us its "emphasis on character touches on fundamental aspects of what makes us human that some of the other later ethical systems miss."

Two examples of virtue ethics given by the textbook are the golden rule, and the golden mean.  The golden rule  stems from a Judeo-Christian belief: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."  We may also be familiar with this same belief from the ten commandments: "Love thy neighbor as thyself."  Our book gives us a modern day example from journalism of the golden rule.  The example is about a journalist interviewing a relative of someone that just passed away.  The journalist must be sensitive and respectful, thinking if they what they would be comfortable answering after one of their own loved ones had died.  The golden mean is a principle from Aristotle and Confucius.  It is the principle of finding a balance between two extremes is the the most ethical way.  Aristotle believes that figuring out a mean is a way to determine what virtue is, and the mean should become the standard of living. A modern day example from the book about the golden mean is finding a balance and fairness to both/all sides of a news story.  

The three main concepts of virtue ethics are arête, phronesis, and eudaimonia.

Arête means excellence or virtue.  Phronesis means practical or moral wisdom.  Eudaimonia means happiness or flourishing.  Historically, accounts of virtue have widely varied.  The three concepts listed above have developed over long periods of time and answered many questions.  

Virtue ethics seemed to disappear during the nineteenth century but reappeared during the 1950's in Anglo-American philosophy.

The re-emergence of virtue ethics can be traced to the dissatisfaction that arose about deontology and utilitarianism which were prevailing schools of thought at the time.  These prevailing philosophies did not include many topics that always seemed present in virtue ethics.  Some of these included motives and moral character, moral education, moral wisdom, friendship and family relationships, and the role of emotions in our life. As modern virtue ethics grow, more  people are beginning to become familiar with the three main concepts listed above.

Virtue ethics is not wholly accepted however.  There are a few main objections and responses to virtue ethics that are not addressed in our textbook.  These include self-centerdness, action-guiding, and moral luck.  Morality is supposed to be about other people.  However, virtue ethics seems to be only concerned with ones own character.  The argument is that virtue ethics essentially be interested in a personal acquisition of virtues as a part of a person's own well-being or flourishing even though morality requires us to consider others not just for the benefit of ourselves.  The argument of action-guiding is actually saying that virtue ethics do not guide actions as they should and as other philosophies do.  Finally, the argument of moral luck points out that virtue ethics holds us hostage to luck.  It says that so many things happen beyond our control that lead to us being judged as virtuous or not.  

I picked virtue ethics because I find it to be very interesting.  I find all of the categories outlined by Neher and Sandin of character, duties, consequences, and relationships to be interesting but found myself especially intrigued by character.  Growing up learning the ten commandments the golden rule struck my eye.  "Love thy neighbor as thyself" has always been something that I have tried to live by.

The first recent example of journalism I think of that deals with virtue ethics deals with a situation during the tragic Sandy Hook School shooting.  Reporters were on the scene frantically trying to put together the details of what happened in the elementary school.  Many reporters turned to young children who had just witness classmates and friends getting shot in an attempt to get breaking news.  Unfortunately I do not agree with this action.  If they were to look from the perspective of these children's parents, I do not think they would want a reporter asking their child to graphically retell the story of what they saw.  This is an example of the golden rule which is one of the main foundations of virtue ethics.