Table of Contents
What does it mean to embody virtue?
The definition of an embodiment is a visible or tangible form or a concrete example of an idea or concept. That in which something is embodied; concrete expression of some idea, quality, etc. She is the embodiment of virtue.
Can people have virtue?
Virtue, by definition, is the moral excellence of a person. Morally excellent people have a character made-up of virtues valued as good. Some might say good qualities are innate, but we’re not perfect. Virtues need to be cultivated to become more prevalent in life.
How does a person develop a virtue?
Virtues are developed through learning and through practice. As the ancient philosopher Aristotle suggested, a person can improve his or her character by practicing self-discipline, while a good character can be corrupted by repeated self-indulgence. The virtuous person is the ethical person.
Is virtue a person?
A virtuous person is a person who acts virtuously. A person acts virtuously if they “possess and live the virtues” A virtue is a moral characteristic that a person needs to live well.
What does it mean to be a man of virtue?
Virtue is the quality of being morally good. The word virtue comes from the Latin root vir, for man. At first virtue meant manliness or valor, but over time it settled into the sense of moral excellence. Virtue can also mean excellence in general.
What does it mean to possess a virtue?
Possessing a virtue is a matter of degree. To possess such a disposition fully is to possess full or perfect virtue, which is rare, and there are a number of ways of falling short of this ideal (Athanassoulis 2000).
Do only virtue ethicists attend to virtues?
This is not to say that only virtue ethicists attend to virtues, any more than it is to say that only consequentialists attend to consequences or only deontologists to rules. Each of the above-mentioned approaches can make room for virtues, consequences, and rules.
What are the different fields of virtue?
Different virtues are concerned with different fields. Courage, for example, is concerned with what might harm us, whereas generosity is concerned with the sharing of time, talent, and property. The basis of acknowledgment of a virtue is the feature within the virtue’s field to which it responds.
What is the touchstone of virtue ethics?
The touchstone for eudaimonist virtue ethicists is a flourishing human life. For agent-based virtue ethicists it is an exemplary agent’s motivations. The target-centered view developed by Christine Swanton (2003), by contrast, begins with our existing conceptions of the virtues.