We’ve all heard the famous quote “patience is a virtue”. As true as this statement is, I don’t think we really grasp the meaning of what a virtue really is. I would describe a virtue as a morally good character trait that one is not born with, but must strive for. Patience is a perfect example of this. No child is born with patience. Many times a child will interrupt the mother who is in the middle of a conversation because it wants candy and simply cannot wait for the mother to finish the conversation. So what is it that makes virtues important?
I believe the answer can be found in the theory of Virtue Ethics. Virtue Ethics is the theory of how people should be. In other words, we shouldn’t act with honesty, we should be honest. By being honest, honesty becomes second nature to us. It is easier for someone to be honest if they have the virtue of honesty. Being virtuous will benefit someone when they are faced with decisions, challenges, or circumstances. For example, it will benefit a college student to be perseverant because obtaining a degree is not easy. Virtue Ethics defines the context of right and wrong based on the virtues valued in a society.
The right thing to do in society as we know it would be to act with virtues like honesty or integrity and the wrong thing to do would be to act with vice, the opposite of a virtue. I believe there are many things about virtue ethics that are true. What I agree with most is Aristotle’s view of how virtues must be balanced. For example, in order to be courageous one obviously not be fearful of harmless like lady bugs, but also must not be so recklessly bold that they would try to fight someone who decides to go into the grocery store and shoot everyone in sight.
The Essay on Utilitarianism, deontological, and virtue theory ethics
Utilitarianism, deontological, and virtue theory ethics are three normative approaches to ethics. This paper will go over the similarities and differences between virtue theory, utilitarianism, and deontological principles. It will include information of the variations in how each concept details ethics, morality, and it will also discuss a personal experience to describe the correlation between ...
Being courageous, in my opinion, is acting in situations where fear is present, but not letting that fear control you. Someone who is courageous would fear for their life if someone were trying to take their life using a gun of some sort, but they would not crawl into the fetus position crying and hoping they are spared. A courageous person would try to get away from that dangerous situation. Aristotle says that being courageous is being somewhere in the middle of extremes of being reckless and being a coward, and I believe that is true.
There is one thing about Aristotle’s opinion on virtues that I do not agree with however. Aristotle claims that pride is a virtue, with the extremes being vanity and humility. I do believe that pride is a virtue and that vanity is one extreme of pride, but I do not agree with humility being the other extreme.
Humility is a virtue in itself. Everyone should take pride in who they are and their achievements as long as it is not to the point where they believe they are superior to others. If nobody took pride in who they were, hygiene would be a serious issue. Nobody would bathe for the simple fact that they do not care about themselves. I believe the other extreme of pride would be carelessness.
However, humility is a virtue because humility is being somebody who doesn’t boast about what they do. Somebody who is humble would give money to someone in need, and not tell anybody about what they did. I also believe you can have pride and still be humble. As a matter of fact, being humble will help keep that pride in check so it doesn’t turn into vanity. For example, a basketball player should take pride in his team and the accomplishments of the team as well as his own, but should not be one to boast about personal stats.
Instead, a humble ball player would give credit to teammates or coaches when asked what it was that enabled him to perform so well. they would try to fight someone who decides to go into the grocery store and shoot everyone in sight. Being courageous, in my opinion, is acting in situations where fear is present, but not letting that fear control you. Someone who is courageous would fear for their life if someone were trying to take their life using a gun of some sort, but they would not crawl into the fetus position crying and hoping they are spared.
The Essay on Pride And Prejedice Bbc Production
A great text not only reflects society, but also challenges its way of thinking. How true is this statement? A great text can be defined as one that our civilization deems valuable- a text that not only portrays the workings of society, but also defies existing constructs of the times and encourages progression in societys attitudes towards relevant issues. Such a text is Simon Langtons 1995 ...
A courageous person would try to get away from that dangerous situation. Aristotle says that being courageous is being somewhere in the middle of extremes of being reckless and being a coward, and I believe that is true. There is one thing about Aristotle’s opinion on virtues that I do not agree with however. Aristotle claims that pride is a virtue, with the extremes being vanity and humility. I do believe that pride is a virtue and that vanity is one extreme of pride, but I do not agree with humility being the other extreme.
Humility is a virtue in itself. Everyone should take pride in who they are and their achievements as long as it is not to the point where they believe they are superior to others. If nobody took pride in who they were, hygiene would be a serious issue. Nobody would bathe for the simple fact that they do not care about themselves. I believe the other extreme of pride would be carelessness. However, humility is a virtue because humility is being somebody who doesn’t boast about what they do. Somebody who is humble would give money to someone in need, and not tell anybody about what they did.
I also believe you can have pride and still be humble. As a matter of fact, being humble will help keep that pride in check so it doesn’t turn into vanity. For example, a basketball player should take pride in his team and the accomplishments of the team as well as his own, but should not be one to boast about personal stats. Instead, a humble ball player would give credit to teammates or coaches when asked what it was that enabled him to perform so well. In Virtue Ethics, I also don’t necessarily agree with how virtues are determined.
Philippa Foot claims that virtues are determined by society, and therefore different societies may value different virtues. I believe that virtues are universal. No matter what society a person is part of, virtues like honesty and humility are always valuable. A society that doesn’t value honesty for example, would never be able to trust anyone in that society. This could lead to further problems like justice. If a society believes lying were some type of virtue, they would never be able to uphold laws because everyone would lie in court. This allows criminals to get away and chaos then follows.
The Term Paper on Analysis of Feminism in Pride and Prejudice
Abstract：Pride and Prejudice is a marvellous novel of Jane Austen. Although in her age, women are regarded as emotional, weak, nurturing, and submissive, Austen depicts her heroine, Elizabeth as a woman who has her own perspectives, feelings, and opinions. This paper analyses feminism in Pride and Prejudice from its progressive and conservative aspects. The former is reflected from the perspective ...
So virtues must be universal among different societies. In conclusion, I do agree with some of Virtue Ethics, but not everything completely. I do believe nobody is born virtuous. Children for example, have to learn to be patient. People should also be constantly be striving to become more virtuous, and do so by being careful not to fall under certain extremes of virtues. Virtues are also not something that society decides whether or not it wants to value or not. Anything that is of virtue is virtuous because it is valuable across societies, and in the end will benefit society as well as individuals.
