Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, view the video and the Week 4 content in the 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 resource in the Writing Center.
This discussion will require you to carefully read Chapter 5 of the textbook and the assigned portions of Aristotles (1931) Nicomachean Ethics.
Aristotles 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 Aristotles 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 Aristotles account, and briefly describe some of the key characteristics of the virtues.
2. 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.
3. 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 ones emotions and actions, etc.
4. 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 ones life; whether practicing virtue in these activities may lead to less success as measured by, say, financial benefit or recognition; and so on.
Aristotle. (1931). Nicomachean ethics (W. D. Ross, Trans.). Thames, B. (2018). How should one live? Introduction to ethics and moral reasoning (3rd ed.). Bridgepoint Education.