From Morality to VirtueIn this book, Slote offers the first full-scale foundational account of virtue ethics to have appeared since the recent revival of interest in the ethics of virtue. Slote advocates a particular form of such ethics for its intuitive and structural advantages over Kantianism, utilitarianism, and common-sense morality, and he argues that the problems of other views can be avoided and a contemporary plausible version of virtue ethics achieved only by abandoning specifically moral concepts for general aretaic notions like admirability and virtue. Although this study is not bound by particular Aristotelian doctrines, it places an Aristotelian emphasis on both self-benefiting and other-benefiting virtues. Slote criticizes Kantian and common-sense morality for internal incoherencies and for downgrading the moral individual and her well-being in some previously unnoticed ways. By contrast, this book defends a distinctive, intuitive, and symmetric ethical principle according to which we should balance self-concern with concern for others, but it also concludes that there is, contrary to utilitarianism, no single basis for status as a virtue nor any simple relation between the virtues and human well-being. |
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From Morality to Virtue Michael Slote Professor of Philosophy University of Maryland Limited preview - 1992 |
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act-utilitarianism action admirable affairs agent-favoring agent-sacrificing allow approach to ethics aretaic Aristotle avoid blameworthiness Categorical Imperative Chapter claim clearly common-sense and Kantian common-sense ethics common-sense morality common-sense virtue ethics concepts concern consequentialism consequentialistic consider count criticism deontic deontology deplorable discussion distinction egoism eliminative eliminative materialism Epicureanism ethical theory ethics of virtue evaluation example fact favor form of utilitarianism fundamental happiness idea imperatives imperfect duties individual intrinsic intuitive issue J. J. C. Smart justice Kant Kant's Kantian morality killing latter least less mon-sense monistic moral judgments moral luck moral notions moral thinking obligations one's oneself ordinary moral ordinary thinking overall particular philosophers pleasure possible principle of utility problems prudence reason reduction reductionism regard right and wrong sadistic scalar seems self-other asymmetry sense Sidgwick someone sort specifically moral Stoic Stoicism theoretical things tion treat underdetermination utilitar utilitarianism and virtue virtue-theoretic virtuous W. D. Ross well-being