Existentialism and Virtue Ethics Existentialism Term Paper

The three approaches to ethics today involve whether one does good out of (1) the need to maximize the well-being of the human race, (2) the need to live according to a moral rule ("Do unto others as you would have others do unto you") or (3) the belief that helping people is charitable and benevolent (virtue ethics). The Virtue Ethicists' central concepts are virtue, practical wisdom and eudaimonia.

A virtue, such as honesty, generosity, caring and helping, is not something learned or practiced until it becomes a habit. It is a disposition that comes from a mindset that cannot be observed by others in a single act. A virtuous person has thought about why it is valuable to be honest and caring and has taken it to be part of their disposition. They do not find otherwise in their life and are shocked whenever they do not find it in the lives of others. It is displayed in acts, not words and is not found in a single act, but in a life-style that practices many acts of kindness day after day.

The qualities of virtue have been discussed in many philosophies, beginning with Aristotle, who spoke about phronesis, and eudaimonia. Eudaimonia is a key to the new virtue ethic, being the final area that is usually discussed.It is an Aristotelian term meaning "happiness" or "flourishing," or "well-being." Only a rational being can experience eudaimonia, the state of being satisfied with oneself because one is virtuous. It denotes one who is living well as a human being, believing that virtue is necessary but not sufficient, as the good life is also part of it (Annas 1993). The good life is the morally meritorious life, responding to the demands of the world, being a good human being with virtues that enable them to live a whole life. (Swanton 2003)

List of Works Cited

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Haugeland, John. Having Thought: Essays in the Metaphysics of Mind. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press. 1998.

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