Question

In virtue ethics, the primary question in ethics is:

1) what actions are morally right?
2) what sort of person should I be?
3) will the consequences of my actions maximize happiness?
4) am I acting out of a sense of duty?

Answer 1

In virtue ethics, the key question of morality is 'what sort of person should I be?', with an emphasis on the development of virtues and good character traits to achieve moral conduct.

Step-by-step explanation:

In virtue ethics, the primary question in ethics is: what sort of person should I be? This approach to normative ethics is character-centered, focusing on the development of virtues or good character traits. Unlike consequentialist approaches that consider the outcomes of actions or deontological perspectives that rely on duty and rules, virtue ethics emphasizes the cultivation of character, self-reflection, and self-perfection to achieve moral conduct.

Virtue ethics argues that right action flows from a right character. The cultivation of virtues is central in determining how one should act, which is consistent with the philosophy of Aristotle who posited that humans achieve eudaimonia, or flourishing, through the development of virtue. Questions in virtue ethics often pertain to how one becomes a good person, rather than focusing strictly on the moral weight of isolated actions.