Virtue Ethics: An IntroductionIn this fresh evaluation of Western ethics, noted philosopher Richard Taylor argues that philosophy must return to the classical notion of virtue as the basis of ethics. To ancient Greek and Roman philosophers, ethics was chiefly the study of how individuals attain personal excellence, or "virtue," defined as intellectual sophistication, wisdom, strength of character, and creativity. With the ascendancy of the Judeo-Christian ethic, says Taylor, this emphasis on pride of personal worth was lost. Instead, philosophy became preoccupied with defining right and wrong in terms of a divine lawgiver, and the concept of virtue was debased to mean mere obedience to divine law. Even today, in the absence of religious belief, modern thinkers unwittingly continue this legacy by creating hairsplitting definitions of good and evil.Taylor points out that the ancients rightly understood the ultimate concern of ethics to be the search for happiness, a concept that seems to have eluded contemporary society despite unprecedented prosperity and convenience. Extolling Aristotle''s Nicomachean Ethics, Taylor urges us to reread this brilliant and still relevant treatise, especially its emphasis on an ethic of aspiration. |
Contents
Chapter | 1 |
PART THREE DUTY vs ASPIRATION | 11 |
The Story of the Suekils | 12 |
Chapter 4 | 19 |
The Emergence of Philosophical Ethics | 25 |
Chapter 6 | 33 |
Chapter 7 | 40 |
Chapter 8 | 46 |
The Practical Basis of the Ethics | 73 |
Human Worth | 79 |
Chapter 13 | 85 |
Kants Search for a Supreme Law | 91 |
Chapter 15 | 98 |
The Place of Externals | 104 |
The Happiness of Lesser Beings | 111 |
What is Creativity? | 118 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
actions ancient moralists Aristotle Aristotle's Athenians basic Callicles categorical imperative Christianity claim command conception of virtue considered conventional conventional norms course creative culture custom and law Dale Carnegie declared distinction between right distinctions of right divine Epictetus ethics of aspiration ethics of duty eudaimonia example expressed fact faith feelings forbidden fulfillment function gods Gorgias Greeks honor human excellence human fabrication idea of moral idea of virtue ideal imagine important intellectual intellectual virtue J. S. Mill Kant kind lawgiver live meaning merely modern moral obligation moral philosophy moral right natural justice natural law never Nicomachean Ethics obvious one's original perfectly personal excellence philosophical ethics Plato Plato's pleasure Polus possessed presuppositions pride Protagoras proud person punishment question rational reason Rehtos religion religious right and wrong rules sense Similarly simply Socrates someone sometimes Stoic Suekil suppose things thought tion traditions true unique violation VIRTUE ETHICS words worth