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Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics (Virtue Ethics)

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Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics (Virtue Ethics)

In this ethical theory, Aristotle stresses that all activities that humans make, aim to come to an ends that we consider to be good. Most of the activities are the means to an even higher end. The highest human good that we aim for is happiness, which is done for our own personal sake. It is said that one will attain happiness by leading a virtuous life, developing reason, and theoretical wisdom. In this theory, Aristotle also stresses that politics and ethics are very closely related. Politics create the structure by which humans can live a “good life” and reach their full potential. While Aristotle is thought to be the spearhead of virtue ethics Plato, Socrates, and other Chinese philosophers share roots in this theory. The strengths of this theory encourage better …show more content…

Before this class I have never heard of this theory and now I feel as though I have a decent grasp on its basic principles because we have applied it to so many assignments. This is the ethical theory in which the most emphasis is placed on making actions based on the outcome being that of the greatest good only when it brings the greatest amount of people good. This theory is seen as a sort of in opposition to egoism. The process of utilitarianism can be executed by evaluating what is intrinsically good or bad, considering all options, the value of each option, and ultimately what action is going to yield the ideal balance. Proponents of this theory include John Stuart Mill, who wrote the book titled Utilitarianism and also Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethics can be seen deeply rooted in utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is positively viewed for encompassing all elements (cost, benefits, cons) and being very inclusive but negative criticisms point to this theory being too subjective, especially when it comes to judging what is intrinsically “good” or

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