Question

Which of the following is a criticism of virtue ethics? multiple choice question. a. it assumes that happiness and unhappiness are of a nature to be measured and predicted accurately. b. virtue ethics seems to confuse or collapse what is beneficial to an individual with what is morally good in general. c. looking at moral right and wrong only through the virtue ethics window can lead to a kind of "character trap." d. it seems to forget that people are the ones who make moral decision, not computer programs doing deliberate calculations.

Answer 1

The criticism in option B highlights the potential issue in virtue ethics of confusing what is individually beneficial with what is morally good universally.

Step-by-step explanation:

The criticism of virtue ethics outlined in option B posits that this ethical system may conflate individual benefit with moral goodness more generally. This criticism contends that virtue ethics can sometimes blur the distinction between what is advantageous for one person and what is morally good overall. The challenge here seems to be that while a certain character trait may be considered a virtue because it is beneficial to the individual who possesses it, this does not automatically imply that the same trait promotes the general good or that it aligns with moral principles that hold universally.

A more detailed example could be that the virtue of thriftiness is good for an individual as it helps save money and prepare for the future. However, if everyone were extremely thrifty, the economy might suffer from a lack of spending, which could be detrimental to societal well-being. Here, the individual benefit of thriftiness could be at odds with what might be considered morally good for the society as a whole.