MODULE 4

LESSON 4 VIRTUE
ETHICS
 LEARNING OUTCOMES

During the learning engagement, you should be able

to
● pinpoint with examples particular Filipino
virtues;
● substantiate/refute all concepts on virtue ethics;
and
● agree/disagree on the Virtue Theory of Aristotle.
 Introduction
■There’s a moral dictum which says, “Your
‘doing’ creates your ‘being’ and your ‘being’
directs your ‘doing.’”
■“Sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap
a virtue; sow a virtue, reap a character, and
sow a character, reap a destiny.”
■In Christian morality, this is called “freedom
for excellence” (Socias, 2007:45).
■Virtue Ethics, is a particular
moral framework which is
sometimes called “‘character
ethics’ for its primary and
special emphasis on the
acquisition and development of
an excellent or virtuous
character” (Fernandez 2018,
171).
Pre-discussion Exercises

■In tabular form, come up with a list of

five specific examples of particular
virtues that are commonly found among
Filipinos. Identify their (virtues)
corresponding excesses and
deficiencies.
Character Portrait.

■Identify a member of your own

community whom you think possesses a
virtuous character. Describe specifically
the kind of life that this person is living.
Give comments.
 PROCESSING
Adapted from Fernandez 2018, 171-177)
Virtue Ethics as an Ethics of Character
■Virtue ethics is a specific ethical theory that
is originally found in the philosophy of the
ancient Greek thinker Aristotle (384-
332B.C.E.), undoubtedly one of history’s
greatest minds.
 Virtue is a Habit
■Aristotle, virtue or excellence (from the
Greek work arête) is essentially a kind
of “disposition” to act well or
excellently . “Virtues are special moral
qualities . . . and trained behavioral
dispositions that result in habitual acts
of moral goodness” (Pojman & Fieser
2017, 135).
■“Virtue is a trait of
character manifested
in a habitual action”
(Rachels & Rachels
2015, 161).
When can a
person be said
to be good or
moral?
■A person can then be said to be good or
moral if she is a person of character. A
person of character embodies the positive
qualities such as wisdom, courage,
temperance, justice, magnanimity,
among others. One’s personal character
then is the result or by-product of acts or
deeds of repeated goodness. One is a
good person or a person of virtue not
really because of what one does but of
what one is. Being precedes doing.
 Virtue Is Acquired and a Product of
Effort

■How do people become

good and virtuous? Is it
something that they are born
with and thus innate? Or is it
something that is acquired,
learned, and developed?
■For Aristotle, virtue is not something
that a person is born with. Rather it
is something that the individual has
to earn through effort, dedication,
and persistence. It is also something
that is achieved through and with
others. One cannot become virtuous
apart from the community.
 Virtue, Reason and the Pursuit of Happiness

■“How do we become happy people?

■Aristotle thinks we do so through having the
right habits, which he describes as
virtues. . . which are as mentioned ingrained
dispositions that are conducive to living
well” (Solomon & Higgins 2017, 271).
■According to him, a happy life is a life
of virtue. Such a life involves reason
(rational contemplation). More
specifically a life of reason is one that
is devoted to rational activities such as
thinking and reasoning. It is essentially
the life of a philosopher, a life of a
thinker.
■In understanding man’s pursuit for
happiness, Aristotle says “. . .that every act
that person does is directed towards a
particular purpose, aim, or what the Greeks
called telos. There is a purpose why one does
something. . . . a person’s action manifests a
good that she aspires for. For every pursuit of
a person hopes to achieve a good . . . . The
good is considered to be the telos or purpose
for which all seek to achieve” (as cited in
Bulaong et al. 2018, 83).
■What is the good
and how does this
relate to the pursuit
of happiness for
man?
■Aristotle discerns basically
the nature of human
happiness eudaemonia as the
ultimate and final goal of all
human striving, by reference
to our special and unique
function as human beings.
What is the essence
of a human being?
What makes him
truly as one? What is
his truest nature?
■“we humans are unique in our capacity to exercise
rationality in our conduct and decisions. The
excellent use of reason is what Aristotle considers
as a “virtuous activity.” Virtue is “...an activity of
the soul or a course of action in accordance with
reason” (Camp et al. 2015, 22). And philosophic
contemplation, as previously mentioned,
represents the very summit of all human pursuits
and activities. Since reason is distinct and unique
in man, it is only logical that it should be the one
to direct and govern all his activities and pursuits,
without of course neglecting other capacities in
various spheres of his existence.
■Thus, to be happy, which is the ultimate and
highest human good or eudaemonia (total
well-being or happiness), is to live a life of
virtue. And to live virtuously, is to live a life of
reason, which is in accordance with our truest
nature. “Thus, a happy individual is one who
lives in accordance with our truest nature.
“Thus, a happy individual is one who lives in
accordance with reason, and each individual
should develop the virtues, character traits
and disposition that lead to this goal of
achieving the highest good” (Camp et al.
2015, 22).
 Virtue and the Golden Mean
■This particular doctrine teaches that we
have to live and practice a life that avoids
both extremes: excess and deficiency. It
teaches us to avoid falling into the pit of
overindulgence. For anything that is done
excessively and inadequately leads to
doom. Living out of bounds, too much and
too little, is to sin against reason. And to sin
against reason is the surest road to
perdition.
■To be a virtuous and well-
integrated person, one ought
to constantly practice
consciously the art and skill of
doing and having “just
enough,” deliberately avoiding
any form of extremes in one’s
action, feeling, and conduct.
■Four basic or cardinal virtues (Mackinnon
& Fiala 2015, 152)
■These are prudence (or wisdom), justice,
temperance, and courage. The virtue of
courage, for instance, can be understood
as a mean or the middle ground between
the two extremes of deficiency and excess.
If one has “too little” courage (kulang ng
tapang), which is a vice . But too much of
it, that is, being “too courageous”
(nasobrahan ng tapang), is foolhardiness.
■Thus, “when facing danger or challenges as
in a battle we should have neither too much
fear (sobrang takot)—which makes us unable
to act—nor too little fear (Halos walang
takot)—which makes us take reckless or
foolish risks (kagaguhan). The virtue of
courage therefore is having just the right
amount of fear (Takot na katamtaman
lamang), depending on what is appropriate
for us as individuals and for the
circumstances we face” (Mackinnon & Fiala
2015, 152)
■Browse these web links for a deeper
knowledge on Virtue Ethics.
●https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=dkJnQkzIpjw
●https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=JPV2KsWMRfc
Synthesis
■Moral virtue, according to Aristotle, is a
“state of character” which habitually acts
according to the middle measure that
practical wisdom identifies as the moral
choice that should be acted upon, given the
concrete situation that presents to the
person. The goal of virtue ethics is to
promote the maturity of the character of
the person. Building a good character is a
task and responsibility of every person.
REFLECTION
(Adapted from Fernandez 2018, 187)
■Apply the insights you have learned from Virtue
Ethics to your own personal context, with
emphasis on the specific qualities you ought to
develop in order for you to become a person of
virtuous character.
Answer the following:
1. What have I LEARNED in this module?
2. What have I DONE?
3. How can I IMPROVE?