Virtue ethics is a way in which an individual can look at ethics whereby it pushes him or her to emphasize on their character as the most vital element of ethical thinking, rather than what is stated by both Deontology and Consequentialism theory.
In this theory, the virtuous character is believed to lead one in making virtuous decisions. Other theories believe what is termed as action-based theories where they rely on actions that should be taken which are a contrast of what virtue ethics propagates. For instance, an individual who is trustworthy is expected to make trustworthy decisions in his or her life. If the person is in an employment position, the boss tends to trust him or her more than the other employees since the individual is expected to make trustworthy decisions if the situation demands it. The individual displays trustworthiness in all areas and therefore is a trusted employee in the organization. The trust is entirely derived from the character that the individual displays.
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The “Golden Mean” can be defined as moral behavior mean in which ethical decisions and judgment are found by moderately finding the position between two extremes. This moral behavior mean is between two extremes where one end can be excess, and the other is deficient.
Virtues of virtue ethics are divided into two; 1) the traditional list of cardinal virtues which are prudence, bravely, justice and temperance. 2) The modern theologian James F Keenan virtues are; justice where it is determined by impartial and equal treatment of human beings. Fidelity is also another virtue determined by how closer people are and with special care. Self-care is another virtue determined by our collective responsibility to care for ourselves spiritually, mentally, physically and affectionately. Prudence is another virtue that is determined by how people look at opportunities and take a chance on them.
Strengths of virtue ethics are that it focuses ethics on the person and what it means to be human and include a person’s whole life, while the weaknesses of virtue ethics are that it has no clear guidance on what one should do in moral dilemma cases. Also, there is no agreement on what are the virtues and if any of the virtues listed are drawn relative to their culture.
This is a good theory however due to its limitations or its weaknesses it would work best if combined with other theories by application of both theories when determining or making decisions and thus there will be good decision making. Use of the theory in combination with other theories seals the loopholes that it has and therefore becomes better accepted for general use.
