VIRTUE ETHICS
CHAPTER V
INTRODUCTION
Concerns about children’s exposure to violence through television have
prompted discussions about regulating content for the sake of moral
development. For example, in the Philippines, the Department of Education
(DepEd) sought to implement guidelines based on the Children’s Television
Act of 1997 to reduce children’s exposure to violent TV content. The
rationale behind these efforts lies in the belief that continuous exposure to
violence can normalize such behavior in children’s minds, potentially
affecting their character formation negatively.
• Addressing this, virtue ethics can provide a useful framework for
understanding how individuals, especially children, develop good
character. This theory focuses on the cultivation of virtues, which are
habitual traits of good behavior, as the foundation of moral living.
VIRTUE ETHICS
• Virtue ethics is the ethical framework that is concerned with
understanding the good as a matter of developing the virtuous
character of a person. Previous chapters emphasized different aspects
of ethics: consequences of an act for utilitarianism, natural inclinations
for natural law, and autonomy for deontology.
• Virtue ethics, on the other hand, focuses on the formation of one’s
character brought about by determining and doing virtuous acts.
ARISTOTLE (384-322 BCE)
• Aristotle, a Greek philosopher and student of
Plato, is central to the development of virtue
ethics. His major work, Nicomachean
Ethics, is one of the earliest comprehensive
studies and programmatic study of virtue
ethics.. In contrast to Plato, who emphasized
an abstract realm of ideals, Aristotle focused
on reality as we experience it in the world,
suggesting that the good and the virtuous can
only be understood within the context of daily
life.
THERE ARE TWO MAJOR THINKERS OF
ANCIENT GREEKS:
PLATO ARISTOTLE
The real existence comes from The real existence comes from within,
the outside of human sensory daily interaction with the objects in
experience. the world.
They both affirmed that we are all part of “matter
and the form”.
We are not separated by the objects around us.
HAPPINESS AND THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE
For Aristotle, all human actions aim toward some purpose, or telos. He
argued that every pursuit has an end goal, which forms a hierarchy. For
instance, writing notes in class has the purpose of remembering lessons,
which leads to passing an exam, which helps in getting a good grade, and
so on. The ultimate purpose (telos) for all humans, Aristotle believed, is
happiness (eudaimonia), which is the highest good.
Happiness, in this context, is not just a fleeting feeling but a state of
flourishing that arises from living virtuously.
GENERAL CRITERIA IN KNOWING THE
HIGHEST GOOD OF A MAN :
FINAL END SELF-SUFFICIENT
If you are not craving/desiring If you are satisfied/ fulfilled
for more with what you do
THE FUNCTION OF HUMAN BEINGS
Aristotle also believed that each being has a specific function. The
function of human beings, he argued, is to act according to reason, a
trait that sets humans apart from other living things like plants and
animals. It’s not just about performing any function, but performing it
“well”, with excellence, which requires practicing virtues.
• For Aristotle, a person becomes virtuous by acting rationally and
consistently making choices that are aligned with virtues. This
excellence in rational activity is what leads a person to true happiness.
APPLYING ARISTOTLE’S ETHICS TO THE
FILIPINO CHARACTER
In Filipino culture, the saying “Madaling maging tao, mahirap
magpakatao” (It’s easy to be a person, but difficult to be truly human)
resonates with Aristotle’s idea of virtuous living. While everyone can live,
only those who strive to act with reason and moral excellence live up to
their full potential as good humans.
• The continuous effort to cultivate virtues—such as compassion
(pakikipagkapwa), respect (paggalang), and responsibility—reflects
Aristotle’s notion that developing good character requires practice,
discipline, and the right environment.
REALIZATION
•Every action we take, got a purpose and goal, Virtue ethics isn’t just about
And the highest aim? Happiness, for the soul. what you achieve,It’s about the
•Aristotle’s got this concept called telos, it’s character in which you believe.
true,
• He said, man’s purpose is to
Means every little thing’s got an end to pursue.
think and to reason,That’s
To reach the highest good, a goal that’s what sets us apart in any
supreme,
season.Being good takes more
It’s not wealth, not power, it’s happiness—the
dream.
than just knowing the way,It’s
striving for excellence, day by
day.
SUMMARY
• Virtue ethics starts with recognizing that happiness is the ultimate
purpose or telos of a person his starts with recognizing happiness is
deemed as the final and self-sufficient end of a person. It is by
realizing the highest goal of a person that she achieves happiness that
is also considered by realizing the highest good. Attaining happiness
is arrived at when she performs her function, which is to act in
accordance to reason in an outstanding manner. It is in doing her
function well that virtue, excellence, or arete is realized.
