ARISTOTLE &

VIRTUE ETHICS:
Character, Virtue, Courage &
Friendship
 Today’s Assignment:
Aristotle : Character & Virtue Ethics
• EMP (27 pages)
– Aristotle and the Ethics of Virtue
and Character (Lucas), 169-172;
The Moral Virtues (Aristotle), 173-
178; Habit and Virtue (Aristotle),
179-182; Courage (Aristotle), 183-
186; Friendship, (Aristotle), 187-
190; Warriors: Reflections on Men
in Battle (Gray), 191-193.
• CSME (5 pages)
– CWO Hugh W. Thompson at My
Lai (Lucas), pp. 95-98; Hugh
Thompson; The Sequel (Lucas),
pp. 2227.
Objectives from reading:
Comprehend key concepts of
Aristotelian Virtue or Character
ethics
• What is Aristotle’s basis for
human flourishing?
• What is the concept of the
“golden mean?”
• Relative importance of
mentorship and habituation
• What exactly is character?
• 4 cardinal virtues
• How does Aristotle’s view of
the virtues of courage and
friendship fit w/in the context
of our roles as military
officers?
 The Range of Ethics
Duty Ethics
Absence of Relativism Consequentialism
(Absolutism)
Virtue
Ethics
Normative Utilitarianism Kantian – Duty Aristotle
The Relativism
Criminal Truth Honor
Descriptive Most Pleasure
“I KILLED HIM Relativism Justice Character
AND I DON’T
CARE” Individual Greater Net Rights Habituation
Relativism Happiness
Divine Law Stoicism
The Accepted Based On :
Delinquent Practices Consequences Natural Law
Outcomes
“I DON’T CARE
ABOUT THAT”

“CATCH ME IF Rule Based Moral Theories

YOU CAN.” Character
Based
 Admirable action?

Extreme action?
Justifiable? What if the Capt had died?
 Would you rather lead an
enviable or an admirable life?

• Why?
• What is the difference?

Which
Which life
life is
is best
best for
for the
the bearer?
bearer?
 Enviable vs. Admirable
• What is a good life?
• Would you rather lead an enviable life or an
admirable life?
– Give your example of an enviable life
– Give your example of an admirable life
• How do you want to live?
– What do you value?
– How do you want to LEAD your life?
• Intrinsic vs Instrumental
 To live the “right” kind of life…

How ought I to act?

(question of action)

What kind of person ought I to be?

(question of character)
 Merriam Webster
on Virtue
Main Entry:
vir·tue
Pronunciation:
\ˈvər-(ˌ)chü\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
Middle English vertu, virtu, from Anglo-French, from Latin virtut-, virtus strength,
manliness, virtue, from vir man — more at virile
Date:
13th century
1 a: conformity to a standard of right : morality
b: a particular moral excellence
2 plural : an order of angels — see celestial hierarchy
3: a beneficial quality or power of a thing
4: manly strength or courage : valor
5: a commendable quality or trait : merit
6: a capacity to act : potency
7: chastity, especially in a woman
 Class Exercise:
List Virtues of Professions
• “Excellence” (arete, virtue) is defined with respect
to a specific practice

• Some traits show up on several lists

• Some traits are recognizably moral traits

• Q: Are there excellences pertaining to the

“practice” of being a human being?

• Aristotle’s problem: what are the traits of

character that make for a full and flourishing
human life
(happiness, eudaimonia)
 Character and Excellence
(arete)
Heretofore we have discussed rational
decision theory; morality seems to be
procedural…
uu(X)
(X)== B(x)
B(x)--H(x)
H(x) – Utilitarian “Greatest Happiness”
calculus
– Categorical Imperative (CI) procedure
• (e.g., do not kill, harm, lie, cheat, steal, develop
yourself, help others)

But is Morality more than just a set

of decision procedures?
 What Else might be Involved?

Perhaps morality is not just

about making the right choice
– doing the “right thing”
(duty)
– getting the right result
(greatest good for the greatest number)

Perhaps morality is also about

building character
– what kind of person do I wish to
become?
– “what kind of a human being
ARE you?”
Utilitiesman 2nd Class Michael Deangelo attached to Construction Battalion
Maintenance Unit Two Zero Two (CBMU-202) looks for the name of a Seabee killed
during combat in Vietnam
 Merriam Webster
on Character
Main Entry: Function: noun Pronunciation: \ˈker-ik-tər, ˈka-rik-\
Etymology:
Middle English caracter, from Latin character mark, distinctive quality, from Greek charaktēr, from charassein to scratch, engrave; perhaps akin to Lithuanian
žerti to scratch
1 a: a conventionalized graphic device placed on an object as an indication of ownership, origin, or relationship
b: a graphic symbol (as a hieroglyph or alphabet letter) used in writing or printing
c: alphabet e (1): writing, printing (2): style of writing or printing (3): cipher

2 a: one of the attributes or features that make up and distinguish an individual

b (1): a feature used to separate distinguishable things into categories; also : a group or kind so separated <advertising of a
very primitive character>
(2): the detectable expression of the action of a gene or group of genes
(3): the aggregate of distinctive qualities characteristic of a breed, strain, or type <a wine of great character>
c: the complex of mental and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person, group, or nation <the character of the
American people>
d: main or essential nature especially as strongly marked and serving to distinguish <excess sewage gradually changed
the character of the lake>
3: position, capacity
4: reference 4b
5: reputation <the scandal has damaged his character and image>
6: moral excellence and firmness <a man of sound character>
7 a: a person marked by notable or conspicuous traits <quite a character>
b: one of the persons of a drama or novel
c: the personality or part which an actor recreates <an actress who can create a character convincingly>
d: characterization especially in drama or fiction
e: person, individual <a suspicious character>
8: a short literary sketch of the qualities of a social type

Proposal:
Proposal:Virtue
Virtue==strength/excellence
strength/excellenceof
ofcharacter
character
 Central Questions about
Character or Virtue Ethics
• What are the “right habits”?
– (i.e., the ones that lead to human
flourishing, happiness)?

• Are you born with them or are

they cultivated?

• Can they be taught?

– Or must they be acquired over time?
 Aristotle 384-322 BC

• Student of Plato at the Academy (no not Annapolis!)

• Teacher of Alexander the Great
• Zoologist, Biologist (chemist, mathematician, political scientist,
literary, geography, geology, meteorology,, etc)

• Founded the Lyceum

• Author- Significant writings:
– Logic
– Physical and scientific
– Metaphysics
– Ethics Influenced
Influenced: :
– Aesthetics •• Aquinas,
Aquinas,
– Politics •• Bentham,
Bentham,
•• Mill,
Mill,
•• Kant
Kant
 The “Range” of Attitudes

Deficit Mean Excess

(Vice) (Virtue) (Vice)
Facing Danger or Cowardice Courage Reckless
death

Giving Cheap Charitable Prodigal

Towards other’s Indifference Empathy Pity

suffering Meanness Compassion “Bleeding Heart”

Towards Self Self-deprecating Self Respect Vanity, Arrogance

Conceit,
Narcissism
For each of these…do we have a natural tendency in one direction?
 The “Range” of Attitudes
Sphere of Existence Deficiency Mean Excess

Attitude toward self Servility Proper Self-Love Arrogance

Self-deprecation Proper Pride Conceit
Self-Respect Egoism
Narcissism
Vanity
Attitude toward Ignoring them Anger Revenge
offenses of others Being a Doormat Forgiveness Grudge
Understanding Resentment
Attitude toward Suspicion Gratitude Over
good Envy Admiration indebtedness
deeds of others Ignoring them

Attitude toward our Indifference Agent Regret Toxic Guilt

own offenses Remorselessness Remorse Scrupulosity
Downplaying Making Amends Shame
Learning from them
Self-Forgiveness
Attitude toward Indifference Loyalty Obsequiousness
our friends
 Aristotle’s Types of Virtue
Virtues or excellences of character include:
– Moral virtues
honesty, fairness or justice
– Prudential virtues
temperance, modesty
– Intellectual virtues
wisdom
– Some that are hard to classify
courage
 Virtue As the “Golden Mean”

• Strength of character (virtue), involves c y

Deficien
finding the proper balance between two
extremes
Excess
– Excess: having too much of something.
– Deficiency: having too little of
something.
Main Entry: mean
Main Entry: mean
Function:
Function:
• Not mediocrity, but harmony and noun
noun
balance 1 a (1): something intervening or
1 a (1): something intervening or
intermediate
intermediate
(2): a middle point between
(2): a middle point between
• There do not seem to be general rules extremes
extremes
b: a
b: a valuethat
value thatlies
lieswithin
withinaarange
rangeofof
or principles, and certainly no values
algorithms or formulae for virtue valuesandandisiscomputed
computedaccording
accordingtotoaa
prescribed law
prescribed law
* Courtesy of Merriam-Webster Dictionary

• Example of courage
– Sometimes the deficiency is more to be “It is the things which we are
avoided than the excess naturally inclined that appear
to us more opposed to the
mean.”
 Childhood & Adult Morality

• We can contrast two approaches to

the moral life.
– The childhood conception of morality:
• Comes from outside (usually parents)
• Is negative (“don’t touch that stove burner!”)
• Rules and habit formation are central

– The adult conception of morality.

• Comes from within (self-directed)
• Is positive (“this is the kind of person I want to be.”)
• Virtue-centered,often modeled on ideals
 Moral Growth & Progress

• Both of these conceptions of

morality are appropriate at
different times in life.
• During adolescence and early
adulthood (some) people make
the transition from the
childhood conception of
morality to the adult
conception….hopefully

Do some take longer than others…?

 Rightly-ordered Desires

Aristotle draws an interesting contrast between:

– Weakness of will (akrasia) occurs when
individuals cannot keep their desires under
control.

– Continent people, who have unruly desires

but manage to control them.

– Temperate people, whose desires are

naturally—or through habit, second-nature
—directed toward that which is good for
them.
 Rightly-ordered Desires & the
Goals of Moral Education
• Moral education may initially
seek to control unruly desires
through rules, the formation of
habits, etc.

• Ultimately, moral education

aims at forming rightly-ordered
desires Gen Hagee conducting
USMC Core Values
– that is, teaching people to desire Training at Al, Asad, Iraq, May 2006

what is genuinely good for them.

From “Weak-willed” to “Continent” to “Temperate”…

…cultivating the right desires
 Aristotle’s Observations
about Virtues
Virtues, including moral virtues, are not so much
taught as learned by example, observation, practice.

– Cultivating these traits is compared

to practicing archery or marksmanship
– Hitting the “bull’s eye” takes time,
practice, patience

Demonstrating the appropriate behavior at the

“right” time, “right” place, to the “right” degree

This has clear implications for moral education, for Aristotle

obviously thinks that you can teach people to be virtuous.
 Importance of Habituation
“…Virtues are concerned with actions and feelings;
but every feeling and every action implies pleasure
or pain.” – Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics

• Natural capacities are not acquired by

habituation
• Virtue and vice are formed by good and
bad actions
• Right sort of habituation must avoid excess
and deficiency
• Virtue requires habituation, and therefore
requires practice, not just theory

…until it becomes second nature

 Aristotle vs. Kant
“To help others where one can is a duty,…there are many spirits…that find
inner pleasure in spreading happiness…Yet, I maintain that in such a case an
action of this kind, however right and amiable it may be, has still no genuinely
moral worth.” –Kant Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals

You can always trust a

dishonest man to be
dishonest. Honestly, it’s the
honest ones you have to look
out for, cause you never
know when they're going to
do something incredibly
stupid.
Captain Jack Sparrow

“Someone who abstains from bodily pleasures enjoys the

abstinence itself, then he is temperate, but if he is grieved by it, he
is intemperate.” - Aristotle Nichomachean Ethics
 Is this about Character?…

Will Col MacKenzie

be able to lead
his troops as well
tomorrow as he
did yesterday?

Which
Whichvirtues
virtuesof
ofhis
his
character
charactergot
got
Col
ColMackenzie
Mackenziein in
trouble
troublehere?
here?

Col. Tom Mackenzie dances with Sgt. Copeland

of US Combined Forces Command during a
New Year celebration at their base in Kabul, Afghanistan
 Aristotle on Friendship
“Reciprocal Good Will”

• 3 Motives for Friendship

– Pleasure
– Utility
– Friends for Friends’ own sake
• Good and alike in virtue
• Involves experience and familiarity

• Challenges
– Friendship between “superior” and “junior”
• Do you agree with his equation of proportionality?
– Delta in virtue between friends
 Moral Virtue - Courage
• 5 kinds of false courage
– Applied Compulsion
– Ignorance
– Sanguine, optimistic
– Passion
– Experience with particular regard to facts

• True courage
– is not forced,
– is cognizant of the real peril, and
– is the execution of the rational decision to face that peril -
because it is the right thing to do

Do
Do you
you think
think this
this is
is important
important for
for aa ENS/2ndLt
ENS/2ndLt to
to understand???
understand???
 The Right Action…
Moral Courage=Moral Values+Character

The Moral Values to To Do the Right Action

Know What is Right The Character to Do
What is Right

Determine the Specific Specific

Rule/Principle Virtue Required

Our Basic Our Virtues

Moral Values (Character)

IfIf you
you knew
knewitit was
waswrong,
wrong,then
then why
why did
did you
you do
do it?
it?
Hugh Thompson:
Moral Courage
 Case Study: Hugh Thompson
April 15, 1943 – January 6, 2006

Future
Actions

Character

Actions

What were his options?

Why would someone in his situation chose

the hardest possible option with all these
terrible consequences?

From his actions, how would you describe

his character? Hugh Thompson, on the right, and Lawrence
Colburn, his helicopter door-gunner, at My Lai
village, 16 March 1998
 Summary of Virtue Theory

• Human happiness, flourishing,

stem from cultivation of proper
virtues
• This is an ongoing, life-long task
• Social practice:
– Experienced veterans provide
“mentorship” and constraints (laws)
• Friendship, and the role (and
regulation) of emotions are
included in the mix
 Limitations of the Theory
• Some vices (murder, adultery)
don’t have a “mean” or a
virtue-correlate

• Some people are just not

“teachable,” they cannot hope
to take on even a “tincture” of
virtue

• Law and legal institutions limit

their behavior, and also help
habituate the teachable BBC- 29 April, 2005:
The defense said Sgt Hasan Akbar was

(especially the young) mentally ill at the time of the attack

“Virtuous, Weak-Willed, Innocent, Wicked”

 Criticisms of Virtue Theory

• Indeterminate, vague, imprecise

• Possessing the requisite virtues

does not guarantee how one will
act in a given situation
NASA Astronaut Being
Charged in Murder Plot
• Indeed, virtue theory does not Posted Feb 6, 2007, 2:45 PM ET

provide the specific kind of

behavioral guidance that modern
procedural theories offer
 Reading For Next Class
Religion & Military Ethics (Divine Law)

• EMP (4 Pages) Objectives from reading:

– Religion and Military Ethics (Lucas), pp. Religion in the Military
97-98; Religion and Morality: Exploring (Divine Law)
the Connections (Cook), pp. 99-103; What are differences &
Abraham’s Obedience Test, p. 135. similarities between
• CSME (9 Pages) ethics based on divine
command and ethics
– A Sailor’s Request for Abortion Case based on natural law?
(Rubel), pp. 167-169; Altering the Uniform
What are the possible
(Gunther), pp. 171-176. tensions between divine
command & legal rules
and obligations? (Give
an example of such)
Are these tensions
resolvable?
If yes: How?
If no: Why not?
 Reading & Homework for Next Class
Natural Law

Objectives from reading:

• EMP (15 pages)
Natural Law
– The Tradition of Natural Know difference between descriptive
Law (Lucas), pp. 195-198; (scientific ), prescriptive (natural and
divine), & human (civil, positive,
from “Summa Theologica statue) laws
(St. Thomas Aquinas), pp.
Comprehend Aquinas’ features of a
199-202; from The Ethics law, how natural law can be explained
of Natural Law (Harris), in terms of moral standards and the 4
natural inclinations of human beings.
pp. 203-209.
Comprehend the concept of “the
common good” vs. concept of
“greatest good for the greatest
number.”

Know & apply the Principle of

Forfeiture and the Principe of Double
Effect