Virtue Ethics Subjective

The idea of virtue ethics was first introduced to the world by Aristotle over 2,300 years ago in 325 BC (Rachels 173). Virtue ethics operate on the belief that people develop good character by looking at the virtues they admire in other people and emulating them. In order to do this, a person must ask themselves what kind of person they want to be and focus on choosing characteristics not specific people to emulate. Unfortunately, virtue ethics were quickly overshadowed by other perspectives on ethical theory as Christianity gained popularity and values changed. As time went on people stopped asking themselves, “What traits make a good person?” and instead asked, “What is the right thing to do?” (Rachels 174). However, if applied, virtue

One of the biggest philosophical debates is whether morals are objective or subjective. When debating the two, it becomes clear that morals are a mix of both subjectivity and objectivity. There are a few morals that are objective, such as don’t kill and innocent person for no reason, but most morals are subjective to the situation they take place in. For example, it usually is not okay to kill another person, however, if someone does it to save their own life it becomes acceptable. Many perspectives of ethical theory do not take this mix into consideration and state that morals are either completely subjective or objective. One of the biggest strength of the virtue ethics arguments is the fact that it allows for morals to be both objective and subjective. Aristotle spent a lot of time thinking about virtue ethics and observing the traits that he valued in others. Through this he saw common traits that he admired in everyone from which he derived four traits he determined to be absolutes: courage, loyalty, generosity, and honesty (Rachels 176). Yet he still recognized that many other

It allows for people to actively seek out the things which they admire in those around them, and it makes them look for the good in each other. It is based on people learning from each other and and each other’s mistakes. Virtue ethics encourages people to self reflect on their lives. Look around themselves and list out the thing that like about those around them and list out the things that they do not like as well. Look at that list and see how many of those they are doing, adopt the good and and let go of the bad. The mindset that virtue ethics encourages is one of appreciation and growth. It teaches people to appreciate the lessons they can learn from those around them and the goodness in the hearts of those around them. Most importantly, it teaches people to appreciate themselves and the constant effort that they put into always working towards growing to be a better