In i i will describe how hursthouse sets out what she calls virtue theory vt and her response to some objections made against it. Virtue ethics is perhaps the most important development within late twentiethcentury moral philosophy. On virtue ethics is an exposition and defence of neo. Overview of aristotles virtue ethics and rosalind hursthouse s essay. Rosalind hursthouse argued that virtue ethics is the preferable moral philosophy for determining the moral permissibility of abortion because it avoids the drawbacks from the utilitarian approach, and the deontological approach.
It is just as well, therefore, that it is in fact a very good book. Moral philosophy for determining the moral permissibility of abortion 1283 words 6 pages. Virtue ethics has been diverse in several ways, offering divergent lists of virtues, presupposing different metaphysical backgrounds, especially of fundamental anthropology, understanding. Aristotle 384322 bc was a scholar in disciplines such as ethics, metaphysics, biology and botany, amongst others. The old, familiar, vices of pride and vanity make us unwilling to acknowledge our greed, selfindulgence, shortsightedness, and lack of. Hursthouse s, on virtue ethics, is somewhat of a classic in our time.
Introduced by stephen darwall, this collection brings together classic and contemporary readings which define and. However, although i see how virtue ethics can provide rules, it remains unclear to me how the rules provided could handle this particular situation. Rosalind hursthouse, normative virtue ethics, from roger crisp, ed. It is fitting, therefore, that his moral philosophy is based around assessing the broad characters of human beings rather than assessing singular acts in isolation. Virtue ethics is currently one of three major approaches in normative. Rosalind hursthouse applying virtue ethics to our treatment of the other animals applying virtue ethics to moral issues should be straightforward. We begin by comparing virtue ethics to the two other dominant approaches in normative ethics.
An individual user may print out a pdf of a single chapter of a monograph in oso for personal use. This belief is some times manifested merely in the expressed assumption that virtue ethics, in being agentcentred rather than actcentred, is concerned w ith being rather than. This paper proposes virtue ethics as a more apt conceptual framework for the ethical analysis of consumption because it takes into account the developmental dynamic triggered by engagement in consumption practices. It is motivated by hursthouse s puzzling claim in her widely anthologized paper virtue ethics and abortion that fetal moral status and by implication its underlying metaphysics are in a way, fundamentally irrelevant to her position. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Rosalind hursthouse virtue theory and abortion the sort of ethical theory derived from aristotle, variously described as virtue ethics, virtue based ethics, or neoaristotelianism, is becoming better known, and is now quite widely recognized as at least a possible rival to deontological and utilitarian theories. Normative ethics seeks to set norms or standards for conduct. Finally, virtue ethics is open to using the findings of disciplines such as psychology, sociology, anthropology and other disciplines to clarify morality and understand the lived context of human action and how joseph grcic virtue theory, relativism and survival doi. This essay explicates and evaluates the roles that fetal metaphysics and moral status play in rosalind hursthouse s abortion ethics.
Pdf hursthouse normative virtue ethics handout andrew t. Rosalind hursthouse, who has made notable contributions to this development, here presents a full exposition and defense of her neoaristotelian version of virtue ethics. The first part discusses the ways in which it can provide action guidance and action assessment, which are usually given by the v. Hursthouse s aim in this essay is to defend virtue ethics against the following objection phrased as an argument. On virtue ethics by rosalind hursthouse, 1999 online. Virtue ethics is a term of art, initially introduced to distinguish an approach in normative ethics which emphasizes the virtues, or moral character, in contrast to an approach which emphasizes duties or rules deontology or one which emphasizes the consequences of actions utilitarianism. Some critical reflections on abortion and virtue theory. P1 an action is right iff it is wh at a virtuous agent. Thus hursthouse argues that virtue ethics, like deontological and consequentiali st theories, begins with a specif ication of right action. Pdf on virtue ethics download full pdf book download. What can contemporary virtue ethics say about the problem of abortion. Hursthouse believes that virtue ethics is still applicable, because she thinks that virtue ethics provides rules that can apply to such a case. This chapter will expound and critique rosalind hursthouse s famous article abortion and virtue theory.
The term is commonly used in reference to the discussion of general theories about what one ought to do, a central part of western ethics since ancient times. Shows that virtue ethics can specify right action and defends the view that the sort of practical guidance it provides accommodates several conditions of adequacy that any normative ethics should meet. Hursthouse defends virtue ethics against the claim that it cannot tell us what we should do. It is fitting, therefore, that his moral philosophy is based around assessing the broad characters of human. Hursthouses virtue ethics takes as central the conception of a human be ing who possesses all ethical virtues of character and no vices or defects of character. However, the examples from foot and hursthouse do not bring out fully how virtue ethics envisages a operating as a standard for deter. Aristotelian virtue ethics introduction aristotle 384322 bc was a scholar in. We begin by discussing two concepts that are central to all forms of virtue ethics, namely, virtue and practical wisdom. This video introduces a new series on normative theories of ethics, like deontology, consequentialism, and virtue ethics.
Shows that virtue ethics can specify right action and defends the view that the sort of practical. Rosalind hursthouse, on virtue ethics princeton university. Edited and introduced by stephen darwall, these readings are essential for anyone interested in normative theory. Hursthouse conceives of virtue ethics as a plausible alternative to which of the following moral theories. Rosalind hursthouse, right action what is the general objection to virtue theoretic conception of moral rules. Virtue ethicists discuss the nature and definition of virtues and other related problems that focus on the consequences of action. Many question the normative significance of virtue theory in. The good, the bad, and philosophy normative ethics.
What is the major criticism of virtue ethics that hursthouse identifies. Virtue ethics collects, for the first time, the main classical sources and the central contemporary expressions of virtue ethics approach to normative ethical theory. Normative ethics i applied ethics is popular because it is easy to see the application i applied ethics is unpopular because it is di cult to make progress those who are cynical will say that it is just listing a bunch of competing intuitions with no real direction. Fully informed and engaged with the best of contemporary moral philosophy, it breathes philosophical life into the conversation between virtue ethics. In response to the criticism that virtue ethics has unresolvable conflict built into it, hursthouse. An action is right if and only if it is what a virtuous agent would characteristically i. Religions free fulltext normative virtue theory in theological. The first half of this series will examine several specific versions of. Rosalind hursthouse, normative virtue ethics 1996, 20 keith burgessjackson 4 may 2016 0. In what follows i attempt to answer that question by considering both what has been said and what we may further argue from a virtue focused perspective. Normative virtue ethics 68 rosalind hursthouse a common belief concerning virtue ethics is that it does not tell us what we should do. Virtue ethics is ac it is concerned with g a b c rather than r a w a. For example, according to rosalind hursthouse, an action is right iff it is what. Virtue ethics gives primacy to character in the sense that it holds that reference to character is essential in a correct account of right and wrong action.
These include how virtues are acquired, how they are applied in various real. Hursthouse, rosalind 1991, virtue theory and abortion. Start studying rosalind hursthouse virtue theory and abortion. Although a defender of virtue ethics, rosalind hursthouse 1943 gives a voice to. Its important i think that you either read her book in full before moving on to other books, or somehow get the main content of the book from good secondary sources. Environmental virtue ethics 157 it has long been recognized that, although the vices do not form a unity, some of them certainly aggravate others.
Virtue theory and abortion by rosalind hursthouse bartleby. Hursthouse on virtue ethics and abortion brendan shea, ph. So, good or bad, this is a book that demands attention. What place is there for virtue theory in theological ethics. Virtue ethics is agentcentered it is concerned with good and bad character rather than right and wrong action. It is argued that 1 it generates an account of moral education, 2 it incorporates the view that moral wisdom cannot simply be acquired from textbooks, and 3 it can resolve resolvable. Applying virtue ethics to our treatment of the other animals. Given its enthusiastic reception, hursthouse s work is likely to set the agenda for years to come on what virtue ethics is, why we should believe in it, and what problems it faces. Then we note some of the features that distinguish different virtue ethical theories from one another before turning to objections that have been.
After all, it basically just amounts to thinking about what to do using the virtue and vice terms. This is will be a response to rosalind hursthouses, applying virtue ethics to our treatment of the other animals. Reviewedbygilbertharman,departmentofphilosophy, princetonuniversity. Virtue ethics is currently one of three major approaches in normative ethics.