Philosophy Essay Example: The Virtue Theory

According to this ethical theory, what makes an action obligatory or prohibited?

All beneficent motives and actions have in time immemorial occupied a centralized place in morality. Virtue ethics is deemed to be a moral philosophy that most people commonly accredited it to Aristotle and Plato. The term virtue means excellence. Someone is said to be a virtue when he or she corresponds to both intellectual and moral virtues. All these two virtues exist in the middle ground of two extremes. It is said to be of extremes since both of them are based on an ingrained rationality that is a man and is being practiced out of habit. Intellectual virtues goes a further step to incorporate the virtues of exercising the part of the rationality of the soul that is used solely for the sake of thinking. Therefore, according to virtue theory, what leads to an action being considered prohibited or obligatory is the activities that it exhibits which are specific. The understanding why they are contemplated to be activities being displayed is that of the states of corresponding to different characters between them.

Describe a duty to others described in Exodus 20 (chapter 7 of the iBook) or the in the Quran 6:151-153; 17:23-39 (chapter 8 of the iBook).

In the book of Exodus Chapter 20, it talks of the Ten Commandments that the Israelites were given to read and adhere to them. From this book found in the Bible, the duty to obey the Ten Commandments is what is being described here. In totality, Ten Commandments needs to be followed. The duty to obey these Ten Commandments is deemed to be obligatory. Obeying the Ten Commandments is based on an ingrained rationality to the Israelites. The commandments both include the rationality of the soul or corresponding to both intellectual and moral virtues. Thus, under Exodus 20. The described duty to others is that of obeying the Ten Commandments given to Moses for the Israelites to follow and obey.

Explain why we have the duty you described in (b) using the ethical theory you described in (a)

All beneficent motives and actions have in time immemorial occupied a centralized place in morality. The Ten Commandments are there to guide the people to observe moral and intellectual virtues. The present inquiry of the Ten Commandments is at no point trying to aim at theoretical knowledge, but these commandments exist to examine our action's nature. It examines us on how we ought to carry ourselves and do the right thing at all times hence helping us determine the true nature of states that are produced of character. By acting according to the right rule which is assumed to be the Ten Commandments, it is seen to be the common principle that leads us to do what is right and interconnected to the other virtues. Thus, everyone must obey the Ten Commandments since they help in interconnecting with the two right virtues. Since it is a choice to follow the Ten Commandments, the virtue theory through its character concern of choice offers the mean relative that determines our rational principle that every man of wisdom uses in deciding what is right and wrong. Equally, the theory of virtue is essential in determining the choice we make from the duty to obey through its respect of definition and substance which always asserts its virtue meaning concerning what is always right and best in the extreme. It is conceivable for one at some point to fail to obey the duty ascribed in the Ten Commandments in many ways since evil always fit into the category of the unlimited class. To succeed, it is only through the way of reason which in most instances isn't easy, for that reason, defects and excesses are deemed to be characteristics of wrong vices that demean virtue. The only way is to obey and rationally apply the principles or commandments that will be of aid to put into practice the good virtues.

Explain why, despite this agreement between the ethical theory you described in (a) and the purportedly divine command you described in (b), some philosophers think that the ethical theory you described in (a) is not the correct explanation of what makes actions obligatory or prohibited.

Some philosophers have some thoughts that virtue theory does not offer the correct explanation that leads to an action being either prohibitive or obligatory since virtue theory always provides a conception which is self-centered of ethics since it is of human flourishing and is deemed as an end. It equally doesn't give any guidance on which way an individual should act when confronted with a particular situation since it offers no clear principles that may act as action guidelines other than acting as a virtuous individual any given circumstances ones finds himself or herself in. Finally, virtue theory in its ability to cultivate all the virtues that are right, it is affected by numerous factors which are different and beyond an individual's control due to society, family, education, and friends.

Reference

Aristotle. (1908). Nicomachean Ethics (W. D. Ross, trans.). Oxford: Clarendon Press, book II.