Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Virtue ethics: Character and Tribal philosophy

Virtue ethics is a whole different way on looking at ethics. It is an ancient approach that instead of asking “what should I do?” the fundamental question for virtue ethics is “how should I be?” It focuses on the development of certain personal qualities, of certain behavior pattern - in other words, on the development of what we call character. Many Greek philosophers believe that character is innate: character is indeed something we are born with, but it is also something that can and must be shaped. We are not the victims of our character, and if we let ourselves be victimized by our own unruly temperaments, then we are to blame. Tribal virtue ethics such as the Akan people in West Africa focuses on virtue and character; whenever a person commits an act of wrongdoing it is said not that he/she did something wrong but that he/she is a bad person. Although character is something were born with, we can work to acquire a good character through good habits.
I like the idea of virtue ethics. I think it a lot more rational approach to ethics then the others. Focusing on trying to be a good person will naturally make ethical decisions easier to solve. Your values and virtues that you hold to your heart will define your character and also the ethical being that you are.

1 comment:

Susan said...

Eric - these are reasonably well done, but could be more extensive - not to mention more on time. 14/20