Shows that virtue ethics can specify right action and defends the view that the sort of practical guidance it provides accommodates several conditions of adequacy that any normative ethics should meet. Some strengths of the book include a careful elaboration of what means to act as the virtuous person would act in a way that shows how virtue ethics captures much that is plausible in kantian and utilitarian accounts while avoiding their shortcomings, illustrating how virtue ethics can. Just to be clear, there is no single best book on virtue ethics. P1 an action is right iff it is wh at a virtuous agent. Pdf on virtue ethics download full pdf book download.
On virtue ethics available for download and read online in other formats. Rosalind hursthouse virtue theory and abortion dead. Hursthouse believes that virtue ethics is still applicable, because she thinks that virtue ethics provides rules that can apply to such a case. Virtue ethics and the treatment of animals rosalind hursthouse the oxford handbook of animal ethics edited by tom l. Virtue ethics does not tell us what we should do from 1. Review of on virtue ethics by rosalind hursthouse semantic.
Its important i think that you either read her book in full before moving on to other books, or somehow get the main content of the book from good secondary sources. Introduced by stephen darwall, this collection brings together classic and contemporary readings which define and. Rosalind hursthouse, who has made notable contributions to this development, here presents a full exposition and defense of her neoaristotelian version of virtue ethics. On virtue ethics paperback rosalind hursthouse oxford. After all, it basically just amounts to thinking about what to do using the virtue and vice terms. The old, familiar, vices of pride and vanity make us unwilling to acknowledge our greed, selfindulgence, shortsightedness, and lack of. Virtue ethics is an approach to normative ethics that emphasizes the great character traits of moral agents.
Rosalind hursthouse applying virtue ethics to our treatment of the other animals applying virtue ethics to moral issues should be straightforward. Applying virtue ethics to our treatment of other animals. Classic and contemporary readings in virtue ethics pp. Oxford university press usa publishes scholarly works in all academic disciplines, bibles, music, childrens books, business books, dictionaries, reference. It may, initially, be identified as the one that emphasizes the virtues, or moral character, in contrast to the approach that emphasizes duties or rules deontology or that emphasizes the consequences of actions consequentialism. Hursthouses aim in this essay is to defend virtue ethics against the following objection phrased as an argument. It is argued that 1 it generates an account of moral education, 2 it incorporates the view that moral wisdom cannot simply be acquired from textbooks, and 3 it can resolve resolvable. Virtue ethics is a moral theory that emphasizes the role of an individuals character and virtues in evaluating the rightness of actions.
Mary rosalind hursthouse born 10 november 1943 is a britishborn new zealand moral philosopher noted for her work on virtue ethics. An 800page scholarly overview is unlikely to be best for someone looking for a short beginnerfriendly introduction, for example. It is motivated by hursthouses puzzling claim in her widely anthologized paper virtue ethics and abortion that fetal moral status and by implication its underlying metaphysics are in a way, fundamentally irrelevant to her position. Virtue ethics is ac it is concerned with g a b c rather than r a w a. On virtue ethics kindle edition by hursthouse, rosalind. Hursthouse s virtue ethics takes as central the conception of a human be ing who possesses all ethical virtues of character and no vices or defects of characterhumanbeingratherthanpersonbecausetherelevantchar. Rosalind hursthouse virtue theory and abortion the sort of ethical theory derived from aristotle, variously described as virtue ethics, virtue based ethics, or neoaristotelianism, is becoming better known, and is now quite widely recognized as at least a possible rival to deontological and utilitarian theories. This essay explicates and evaluates the roles that fetal metaphysics and moral status play in rosalind hursthouse s abortion ethics. Her aunt mary studied philosophy and when her father. For kantian ethics deontological theory, there is a link between right action and moral rules, and then between moral rules and rationality. Pdf download virtue ethics old and new free unquote books. She shows how virtue ethics can provide guidance for action, illuminate moral dilemmas, and bring out the moral significance of.
She shows how virtue ethics can provide guidance for action, illuminate moral dilemmas, and bring out the moral. This anthology can be used to cover the virtue ethics component of an ethics course, either in conjunction with one of the larger ethics texts many include no material on virtue theory, or very little or. Pdf hursthouse normative virtue ethics handout andrew t. We begin by discussing two concepts that are central to all forms of virtue ethics, namely, virtue and practical wisdom.
She shows how virtue ethics can provide guidance for action, illuminate moral dilemmas, and bring out the moral significance of the emotions. The first part discusses the ways in which it can provide action guidance and action assessment, which are usually given by the v. What is the major criticism of virtue ethics that hursthouse identifies. Virtue ethics and its potential as the leading moral theory. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading on virtue ethics. Hursthouse s aim in this essay is to defend virtue ethics against the following objection phrased as an argument. Born in bristol, england, in 1943, hursthouse spent her childhood in new zealand.
Critical assessment in the excerpt virtue theory and abortion, rosalind hursthouse presents the following argument for the moral acceptance of abortion. On virtue ethics is an exposition and defence of neo. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Frey abstract and keywords this article considers a theory that most philosophers view as deriving historically from the work of the ancient athenianmacedonian philosopher aristotle. Edited and introduced by stephen darwall, these readings are essential for anyone interested in normative theory. It is motivated by hursthouse s puzzling claim in her widely anthologized paper virtue ethics and abortion that fetal moral status and by implication its underlying metaphysics are in a way, fundamentally irrelevant to her position. On virtue ethics by rosalind hursthouse, 1999 online. Classic and contemporary readings in virtue ethics. Mill, understands ethics as based on the consequences in terms of happiness caused by actions 79. Hursthouses model is more agentbased rather than actionbased, which implies that it is based on the individuals characteristics rather than the type of action implemented.
Then i want to briefly outline the theory of one very prominent contemporary virtue ethicist. Virtue ethics is agentcentered it is concerned with good and bad character rather than right and wrong action. Virtue ethics i virtue ethics is an ethical view originating in ancient greece which says that ethics is fundamentally about learning to live well. Virtue ethics in action introduction my plan is to begin by explaining virtue ethics in rather general terms, showing how its different from the two other main traditions in ethics. In response to the criticism that virtue ethics has unresolvable conflict built into it, hursthouse. Environmental virtue ethics 157 it has long been recognized that, although the vices do not form a unity, some of them certainly aggravate others. Virtue ethics has been diverse in several ways, offering divergent lists of virtues, presupposing different metaphysical backgrounds, especially of fundamental anthropology, understanding. Rosalind hursthouse, who has made notable contributions to this development, now presents a full exposition and defence of her neoaristotelian version of virtue ethics. Virtue theory and abortion by rosalind hursthouse bartleby. Oct 15, 2001 hursthouse s, on virtue ethics, is somewhat of a classic in our time. My goal here is to consider what contemporary virtue ethics can say about the problem of abortion.
Teleological ethics such as the utilitarianism of john s. Dec 16, 1999 hursthouse s book is a modern classic that provides a definitive statement of neoaristotelian naturalism. For aristotelian ethics virtue theory, there is a link between right action and the virtuous person, and then between the virtuous person and happiness eudaimonia. Virtue ethics and the treatment of animals oxford handbooks. Normative virtue ethics 68 rosalind hursthouse a common belief concerning virtue ethics is that it does not tell us what we should do. The best book for you will depend on your preferred learning style and the amount of time that you want to spend reading about virtue ethics.
Abortion and virtue ethics posted on may 22, 2012 by justin caouette according to rosalind hursthouse, an action is right from a virtue ethical perspective if and only if it is what the virtuous agent would do in the same circumstances. I begin by outlining virtue ethics in comparison to the two other dominant approaches in normative ethics. It is often contrasted with deontology, which emphasizes following moral rules, and consequentialism, which determines the permissibility of an action from its. Applying virtue ethics to our treatment of the other animals. After recognizing the many contributions her analysis offers, i.
Then we note some of the features that distinguish different virtue ethical theories from one another before turning to objections that have been. I everything has a proper function scissors, horses, manufacturers, sailors, etc. In rosalind hursthouses essay on virtue ethics, she aims to create a new type of ethics that is classified as aristotelian in nature. Start studying rosalind hursthouse virtue theory and abortion. It is motivated by hursthouse s puzzling claim in her widely anthologized paper virtue ethics and abortion that fetal moral status and by. Handout 7 rosalind hursthouse s virtue theory and abortion. Hursthouse, rosalind 1991, virtue theory and abortion. Rosalinda hursthouse virtue theory and abortion critical. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. This very engaging book is a steadily reasoned and pointed exploration of the logical structure and conceptual resources of neoaristotelian.
Hursthouse s book is a modern classic that provides a definitive statement of neoaristotelian naturalism. Hursthouse s, on virtue ethics, is somewhat of a classic in our time. This page contains a list of the best books on virtue ethics. I personally recommend the former approach, though thats more time consuming. Hursthouse defends virtue ethics against the claim that it cannot tell us what we should do. This essay explicates and evaluates the roles that fetal metaphysics and moral status play in rosalind hursthouses abortion ethics. I therefore, being good at living the human life will involve ful lling the human function. Thus hursthouse argues that virtue ethics, like deontological and consequentiali st theories, begins with a specif ication of right action. Hursthouse is professor emerita of philosophy at the university of auckland. However, although i see how virtue ethics can provide rules, it remains unclear to me how the rules provided could handle this particular situation. I the basis of virtue ethics is the idea of eudaimonia, which means \the good life or \life lived well or \ ourishing or \happiness. Lecture notes for rosalind hursthouse, virtue theory and abortion.
For kantian ethics deontological theory, there is a link between right action and moral rules, and. I then consider what some important virtue ethicists have said about abortion, especially the work of rosalind hursthouse. Oct 12, 2019 it is motivated by hursthouses puzzling claim in her widely anthologized paper virtue ethics and abortion that fetal moral status and by. In rosalind hursthouse s essay on virtue ethics, she aims to create a new type of ethics that is classified as aristotelian in nature. Virtue ethics is perhaps the most important development within late twentiethcentury moral philosophy.
Virtue ethics collects, for the first time, the main classical sources and the central contemporary expressions of virtue ethics approach to normative ethical theory. Hursthouse s model is more agentbased rather than actionbased, which implies that it is based on the individuals characteristics rather than. As many authors have pointed out, this approach also has great potential in. Mar 01, 2015 these are my notes from the reading, rather than a summary. I in general, being an excellent involves being good at ful lling the function of. I as we saw with mill, aristotle argues that there is only one. This belief is some times manifested merely in the expressed assumption that virtue ethics, in being agentcentred rather than actcentred, is concerned w ith being rather than. The seven best books on virtue ethics the daily idea. Virtue ethics i aristotle argues that eudaimonia should be understood as a state of living life well. Virtues are character traits or habits of action which, according to virtue theory, define the moral person. Virtue ethics is currently one of three major approaches in normative ethics. How does hursthouse defend virtue ethics from this criticism. Hursthouses virtue ethics takes as central the conception of a human be ing who possesses all ethical virtues of character and no vices or defects of characterhumanbeingratherthanpersonbecausetherelevantchar.
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