Chapter 10: Virtue ethics (1)

It focuses on the moral character of the person, rather than on the moral value of the act itself (which is the focus of Consequentialism and Deontology).

“What kind of person am I to do this sort of thing? And is this the kind of person I want to become?”

Happiness is identified with virtuous behavior. Virtue is known by its acts.

One becomes what one habitually does. Moral character is built up over time through repeated actions, allowing for predictable behavior.

A habit is a “second nature” or an acquired disposition that enables the easy performance of activities. It is acquired through frequent repetition (practice) in excellence.

A moral virtue is a good habit of the soul—a chosen pattern of behavior that helps a person pursue the good in a well-ordered, perfecting way (e.g., love, patience, humility).

Aristotle defines humans as “rational animals.” Therefore, virtuous behavior must conform to what it means to be both rational and animal.

Humans are made in the “image of God,” and since God is love, humans are made in and for love. This grounds the pursuit of love as the supreme virtue.

The four cardinal virtues are Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance. They are called “cardinal” (from cardo, Latin for “hinge”) because all other moral virtues hinge upon them.

Prudence is practical wisdom. It evaluates plans of action in light of true goods and requires right reason to assess circumstances and judge rightly. It shapes all other virtues.

Justice is the virtue of giving to each person what is his or her due. It is the habit of rendering to others what they deserve and primarily concerns relationships.

Fortitude regulates fear. It is the mean between the defect of cowardice and the excess of rashness or foolhardiness.

Temperance regulates natural appetites (e.g., for food, drink, sex). It is the mean between the defect of starvation/denial and the excess of gluttony.

The Theological Virtues are Faith, Hope, and Love (Charity). They are distinguished from moral virtues as they are infused by divine grace and revelation, not acquired by human effort alone.

Faith is the habit of believing God; a disposition to believe what God says is true because of who God is. It involves communal assent to Christ’s teaching.

Hope is the patient expectation of a future, difficult, but possible good—specifically, achieving and maintaining communion with God. It is an expectation based on God’s goodness.

Love is “friendship with God.” It is the most important virtue that gives life to the others, enabling one to love God and neighbor. It makes loving one’s enemies possible.

A vice is a bad habit of the soul—a fixed disposition to pursue a good in a disordered way. A sin is an act, while a vice is the internal state of being that disposes one to sin.

They are Pride, Envy, Avarice (Greed), Wrath (Anger), Sloth (Acedia), Gluttony, and Lust. They are “capital” (caput = head) because all other vices spring from them.

Pride → Humility; Envy → Kindness; Avarice/Greed → Charity; Wrath → Forgiveness; Sloth → Diligence; Gluttony → Temperance; Lust → Chastity.

Critics (like Doris) argue that behavior is disproportionately influenced by situational context, not stable character traits, suggesting virtues are not interconnected and people behave inconsistently.

A reply (like Adams’s) is that true virtue might be rare, and social science experiments may not capture it. Furthermore, people often do exhibit consistent behaviors across life domains.

Critics argue that basing ethics on character offers ambiguous guidance, especially for those who lack virtue (e.g., how to choose between honesty and kindness in a conflict). It also raises issues of cultural relativism regarding virtue lists.