Jaymie Ticknor Intro Philosophy 1050 Sect 003 5 March 2014 Lecture 13 Introduction to coined by Aristotle good of the individual Ethics Objective universal actual unbiased unchangeable impartial vs Subjective relative biased partial personal changeable No such thing as objectively valid principles because of differences in individuals cultures etc Cultural Relativism descriptive describing what is different cultures have Ethical Relativism normative describing what it should be ought to be there different ethics and values are no universal ethical principles To get to cultural to ethical relativism must get over the That s just your opinion hole there is no Truth except this statement goes into a circle no absolutes nothing is certain everything is just an opinion Three Ethical Theories Virtue Ethics character less systematic of the three moderation and habit bridge the gap by acting as a Good person Aristotle Utilitarianism consequences not on motives or actions bridge the gap by maximizing happiness and minimizing pain John Mill Deontology Deon Duty obedience to laws obligations duties Kantianism bridge the gap by obeying the categorical and practical imperatives Kant People inherently good or do they learn how to be good Plato compelled to rediscover through contemplation the eternal knowledge of the Good forgotten during the trauma of birth wisdom since all being comes from the Good all truth is within us Aristotle all things have telos a design and purpose eudaimonia to actualize telos is to be happy and flourish altruistic actions selfless actions can lead to eudaimonia The telos of the human being is actualize excellence in living arete by acting in accordance to the Golden Mean of moderation we become by doing The Good Life the Nicomachean Ethics is an attempt to describe what it takes for a human being to live a good life Teleological Nature of Human Conduct all distinctively human actions aim at some good some goods are ends and others are means to an end ends are more valuable than means some goods are higher than others Eudaimonia finality completeness a pure end not a means not an end that is also a means desired entirely for its own sake and not for the sake of anything else sufficient in itself equals excellence external security Aristotle s View of Happiness Specific Nature it is not life vitality both plants and animals are alive it is not sentience animals are sentient the distinctive and characteristic function ergon of a human being is reasoning nous Excellent Functioning Aristotle adds the idea of excellence arete to the idea of distinctive functioning in addition to living in accordance with excellent reasoning human beings also need external prosperity or circumstantial security money friends power social status etc Two Types of Human Excellence Intellectual Excellence excellent functioning of the intellect correct thinking and reasoning corresponds to the rational dimension of the self Moral Excellence The Doctrine of the Mean Objective Expression morally virtuous feelings and actions are those that avoid the extremes of excess Justice is a complete virtue for Aristotle and thus is not a mean as there can never be too much justice doing good with regard to others Human Virtue Arete the function of man then is activity of soul thinking well and doing well using reason Intellectual Virtues relate to our professions Moral Virtues common to all humans but it may vary in degree according to our capacities outcome of habit ethike derived from ethos habit difference between one and another training in habits in our childhood is not a light manner but all important Both intellectual and moral virtues are needed for us to achieve happiness end in itself comes from developing a good character which then comes from the development of good habits Most of the ends or goals we seek are instrumental steps toward some ultimate goal Good character people have a natural capacity for good character but it must be developed through constant practice virtuous thoughts lead to good acts that lead to good habits which make for a good character that can happy Virtue as the Mean the Correct Balance the mean Doctrine of the Mean moderation varies from person to person is the right balance between extremes the extreme of excess too much and the extreme of deficiency too little complete virtues justice and wisdom cannot be too much Difficulty of Being Good always hard to find the mean in anything Ethics has its roots from Aristotle concentrates on moral education and moderation pursuing the mean