Aristotle Virtue Ethics Essay

Virtue ethics is a theory used to make moral decisions. It does not rely on religion, society or culture; it only depends on the individuals themselves. The main philosopher of Virtue Ethics is Aristotle. His theory was originally introduced in ancient Greek times. Aristotle was a great believer in virtues and the meaning of virtue to him meant being able to fulfill one’s functions. Aristotle explains the origin, nature and development of virtues which are essential for achieving the ultimate goal, happiness, which must be desired for itself.

Aristotle explains virtue and excellence, teleology: the concept of purpose, the human purpose, the golden mean, and happiness.

The virtue or excellence of a thing causes that thing both to be itself in good condition and to perform its function well. Teleology follows virtue and excellence. This means that it should be the action that leads to the realization of the good of the human being as well as the whole. Aristotle applies patience, carefulness and descriptive approach to the goal of ethics. The central issue for Aristotle is the question of character or personality; what does it take for an individual human being to be good person? Every situation has a final cause the good of which it aims and Aristotle argues that since there cannot be an infinite regress of mercy extrinsic goods, there must be a highest good at which all human activity ultimately aims.

For example, courage is the middle between one extreme of deficiency and the other extreme of excess. The Nature of Virtue characterizes disposition to act a certain way in response to similar situations. The good can only arise when only action is repeated or corrected. Too much and too little are always wrong in the mean of virtue. For example with respect to acting in the face of danger, courage is a mean between the excess of rashness and the deficiency of