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“Our job as human beings is
to use our rationality to find the golden mean in every virtue
and then to practice and live it until it becomes a habit.” |
Utilitarian and duty-based ethics focus on deciding what actions we
should take in situations because, from our perspective, they are the
right thing to do. Virtue ethics make us decide what actions
we should take based on the kind of person we want to be. This framework
dates
back to the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384/3–322 B.C.). He
believed that we can achieve happiness—or the “good life”—by
developing virtue.
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Virtue to Aristotle meant the excellence of
a specific thing. The virtue of a knife is that it cuts well;
the virtue of a teacher is that he or she imparts knowledge
successfully to others. The virtue of human beings in general
is our rationality. To determine the specific virtue of a specific
thing simply ask what purpose that thing serves in society.
Aristotle, however, believed that virtues can be pushed to
the point where they are no longer virtues. So he emphasized
seeking “the golden mean” in
each virtue. Courage is a virtue, but too little courage becomes cowardice and
too much becomes recklessness. In between these two extremes is the golden mean
of courage. Our job as human beings is to use our rationality to find the golden
mean in every virtue and then to practice and live it until it becomes a habit.
Being a virtuous person can be hard at times. Remember the first time you had
to be honest with someone and deliver bad news? But, as you continued to be honest
with people, it became easier—and part of your character. |
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