Tag: Virtue ethics

Kantian Deontology, Utilitarianism, Nozick’s theory, virtue ethics

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Choose 5 of the included case studies, and analyze all 5 using one of the following ethical theories: Kantian Deontology, Utilitarianism, Nozick’s theory, virtue ethics, Rawls’ theory, or Marxism.

Provide a paragraph that accurately describes the theory you will be using.
Describe the case study before you apply the theory.
Provide a conclusion.

Avoid using phrases like: “In my opinion,” “I believe,” “Ethics is difficult and not certain, so it is hard to tell if this ethical theory is right or not,” since these ethical arguments undermine ethics as a discipline. Present these opinions and feelings as statements of fact.

Virtue Ethics

Posted on | by Brian Leakey

Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, view the PHI208 Virtue EthicsLinks to an external site. video and the Week 4 content in the PHI208: Ethics & Moral ReasoningLinks to an external site. interactive, and read Chapter 5 in How Should One Live? An Introduction to Ethics and Moral Reasoning.

This week our main discussion will focus on explaining and evaluating the theory of virtue ethics as discussed in Chapter 5 of the textbook. Your instructor will be choosing the discussion question and posting it as the first post in the main discussion forum.

he total word count for all your posts should be at least 600 words, excluding references.
In-text citations and references should follow APA guidelines. See the APA StyleLinks to an external site. resource in the Writing Center.
This discussion will require you to carefully read Chapter 5 of the textbook and the assigned portions of Aristotle’s (1931) Nicomachean Ethics.

Aristotle’s account of ethics is “teleological,” which means that our understanding of virtue and living well is based on a sense of the “telos” (function, purpose, or end) of something (see Aristotle’s text and the textbook for the entire account).

  1. Engage with the text:

Using at least one quote from the required text(s), explain the relationship between virtue and living well on Aristotle’s account, and briefly describe some of the key characteristics of the virtues.

  1. Reflect on yourself:

Identify an area of your life in which virtues are needed to do well. Explain what the “telos” of that role or activity is, what virtues are needed and why they are needed, and what would be lost if someone who didn’t exercise the virtues tried to be successful in that activity. This might be a role you have, a vocation or career, a hobby, or something familiar to all of us.

  1. Reflect on virtue:

In what ways do the virtues you identify display the characteristics Aristotle describes? For instance, you could explain whether they occupy an intermediate between too much and too little of some quality, how they would affect one’s emotions and actions, etc.

  1. Discuss with your peers:

Discuss with your peers the answers they gave to these questions, and offer your additional reflections, questions, challenges, etc.
You could consider possible ways in which the virtues may conflict with each other or the virtues needed in other areas of one’s life; whether practicing virtue in these activities may lead to less success as measured by, say, financial benefit or recognition; and so on.

Virtue ethics, ethics of care, natural law, empiricism, and intuition

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1. What are the known relevant facts of the case? Discuss virtue ethics, ethics of care, natural law, empiricism, and intuition found in Chapter 1 in your answers.
2. What is the ethical question(s) comes to mind? What issues must nurse Allie consider as she attempts to meet her ethical responsibility in this case? What questions remain?
3. What thoughts came to mind when both nurses went in to confront the patient? Hypothesize about the possible consequences of different decisions. What are the possible options for resolving the dilemma? What are the benefits, risks, and consequences of each? How was the patient affected?
4. Identify who will benefit and who will be harmed in view of the nurse’s commitment to the patient.
5. How would you advise Nurse Allie to proceed?
6. What do you think the patient should do in this case?
7. If you were the nurse in this case, what personal beliefs or values do you hold that you would want to take into account/be aware of as you work with the other nurses?

 

 

Virtue Ethics

Posted on | by Brian Leakey | Leave a Comment on Virtue Ethics

Explain the theory in detail. Imagine that your reader has no prior familiarity with this particular topic or philosophy in general.
Ethical Problem – Choose one applied ethical problem. Suggested topics include those covered in our readings, such as abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, or animal rights. Other topics not listed here or discussed in our textbook may also be used, but any such “outside” topics will require my prior approval. Explain this ethical problem in detail. Again, assume your reader has familiarity with this topic, so you will need to provide any relevant context (social/political/cultural/etc.) and clearly explain any key concepts associated with it.
Thesis: Once you’ve selected both of the previous topics, you should begin developing a particular thesis. You will be using the values and principles of your chosen moral theory to provide a moral analysis of the ethical problem that you’ve selected. Here is a rough example of the type of thesis I have in mind: “The Ethics of Care, despite its origin as a feminist viewpoint on morality, is committed to a form of strong opposition to abortion, since a human fetus exists in a state of total dependence on at least one of its biological parents.”

 

Virtue ethics

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Read the following scenario and provide advice to the individual involved. You need to tell us what a virtue ethicist would recommend doing here. Show your work – do not just tell us what they would recommend doing, explain why, using the moral theory, they would recommend this course of action.

To apply virtue ethics, use the doctrine of the mean, focusing on the virtues and vices involved in this situation. Pick the virtues that you think are most important here, define them, discuss their corresponding vices of excess and deficiency, discuss possible courses of action, then choose the action(s) that best embody the virtues you selected, avoiding vice. The theory is subjective, so you need to choose which virtues receive priority here. What kind of person should the actor strive to be?

“There is a dog in my neighborhood that NEVER stops barking. He is the subject of countless complaints. Where I live there are mediation procedures to follow if a dog is noisy, but the local authorities have minimal actual authority to do anything about it. The worst they can do is tell the owner to try to control their dog, which of course he doesn’t do. I’ve lived on this street for almost 10 years and it has turned my friendly, harmless, mild mannered neighbors into angry, sleep deprived zombies. Recently I discovered that two of the neighbors are plotting to “eliminate” the dog. Most of the other neighbors know about it, but they pretend not to know. The two-people involved researched the law and precedents, and they are certain they won’t be discovered, and if they do, they’ll receive a small fine. Despite being a dog lover, I sympathize with what they want to do—the dog is a real terror around here. But there is a part of me that feels I should warn the owner. What should I do?”