Virtue Ethics: An Ethical Theory

I made a mistake at the end! I said "what makes virtue ethics unique from utilitarianism, deontology and virtue ethics" but it was supposed to be care ethics!! Sorry guys :)

Actual Question: What makes care ethics unique from utilitarianism, deontology and care ethics?

[abdul-rehmansouleh]

my god don't believe if person teaches such a dull topics with such beautiful and creative style hats off

[tacocatzapata]

Would I kill the joker? Why or why not?



I would kill the joker because he deserved it. He might continue to hurt other people because of the fun of it, he doesn't have anything to lose, so it would be quite hard to kill him or stop him from doing crime since he barely has any moral rules, so if I got the chance to, yes, I would kill him.


What do I think is the main difference that makes virtue ethics unique from utilitarianism, deontology and care ethics?


I think the main difference between utilitarianism and virtue ethics is that utilitarianism is about making the most amount of people happy, virtue ethics is about doing good because it's good. Deontology and virtue ethics is different because deontology is about being good because there are laws that tell you you need to do this to be good while virtue ethics tell you that you need to do good in order to achieve "eudaimonia" and because being good is good. Care ethics and virtue ethics is different from one another because care ethics would do things based on your relationship with other people, and you can do bad things just for your relationships, while virtue ethics is about being good in order to achieve a satisfying life.




One fact I learnt about virtue ethics:




While virtue ethics and deontology is quite similar, virtue ethics is different than deontology because you need to do good because it's good and in order to achieve eudaimonia, and deontology is just doing good because you have to follow the laws, because you are supposed to do good.

[ellanie]

Hi Anna,
I wouldn't kill the joker, because for me, being a good person would mean capturing the joker and letting other people decide a good punishment. Seeing as the joker is a criminal, it might be best for the people he has hurt to decide what they want to do. Batman isn't personally involved with the joker, and so should not be able to decide whether or not to kill the joker. To summarise I would not kill the joker because it is not my decision to make.
I think the main difference between virtue ethics and the other ethical theories is that instead of considering only one factor (e.g. for utililarianism you only consider maximising benefits/happiness), for virtue ethics you are considering multiple factors (maximising happiness, abiding by law and rules, and the relationships of people) and finding a balance between the different ideas. To be virtuous you might need to make more people happy while also thinking about the relationships and whether or not something is legal/moral. So in a way virtue ethics makes you consider all the other ethical theories. Sometimes following virtue ethics might also make you a utilitarianist and a deontologist.
One thing I learned about virtue ethics: eudaimonia is a state of living well and happiness and achieving eudaimonia means that you are a virtuous person.

[aprilong]

Deontology is a rule based view as it is only ethical if there is a good will behind it and Utilitarianism is based on consequences of an action and the outcome of the greatest happiness. While care ethics are based off of relationships you have with other people, like in the video since your closer to your friends that the police officer you would keep it a secret.

[hiranyafernando]

Would I kill the joker: I would not kill the joker because even though he is a criminal, it is not right to kill him. I would, however, give him a punishment of some sort, such as going to jail. It would not be fair to the people he has hurt if he goes free and unharmed, so I believe that a punishment would be best for the joker, but not something as serious as killing him.

What makes virtue ethics different from the other virtue ethics: Virtue ethics is about doing things that would make you a good person/doing thing that are good because you want to be a good person. I think what is mainly different is that virtue ethics is solely based on doing things that make YOU a good person. Virtue ethicists consider multiple factors when faced with an ethical problem, and sort of has a part of all of the other ethical theories. For example, utilitarianism is about is maximizing the greatest amount of happiness, deontology is doing the right thing simply because it is the right/moral thing to do, and care ethics is about personal relationships. To be a good person, you need to consider all of these other values from the other ethical theories, so a virtuous person would need to consider all of these factors/values when making a decision.


One fact I learnt about virtue ethics: One of the founding fathers of virtue ethics is Aristotle, and he believed that we all have this quest to understand and live a life of moral character.

[sophiekim]

Would I Kill the Joker?
-No, killing is wrong and even though the Joker has caused a lot of trouble, the right (and not illegal) way that he should live the rest of his life is behind bars, where he can (hopefully) suffer.
-If I were a Virtue Ethicist, I still would not kill the Joker but I would still report him and let those more mature than myself (rip my maturity) pick what punishments the Joker can face.

What makes Virtue Ethics different from
a)Utilitarianism
b) Deontology
c) Care Ethics

A
-Utilitarianism is maximizing happiness, no matter if your deed is good or bad.
-A Utilitarianist would easily kill the Joker because he has caused much harm and to leave him with all the freedom in the world would be unjust and he could always go and kill more people.
-It is highly unlikely that a Utilitarianist would put the Joker in jail because there is always a possibility of him escaping and going off to kill more people.

B
-Deontology is doing what is RIGHT no matter what. It is a Deontologist's duty to say the truth, oppose bad things like stealing, cheating, killing, etc.
-A Deontologist would NOT kill the Joker because killing is morally wrong. Despite the fact that the Joker has killed many people, he is already a bad person and there is no need for us to become bad people too but to allow the bad Joker freedom would also be morally wrong, so a legal and the right thing to do would be to hand him over to the police.

C
-Care Ethics is doing only moral actions which center on interpersonal relationships and care as a virtue.
-A Care Ethicist would kill the Joker to protect their family, friends, relationships, etc.
-However a Care Ethicist might also think about the Joker's own family and friends, so by just letting the Joker go to jail, the Joker's family and friends could visit him.


*ONE FACT ABOUT VIRTUE ETHICS!*
You must be a virtuous person to achieve eudaimonia. (Eudaimonia being success or flourishment)

thanks for the cookie Sophia Tan
🍪nom🍪nom🍪nom🍪nom🍪nom🍪nom🍪

[emilychoi]

Would I kill the Joker?
No, I wouldn’t kill the Joker since I don’t think I would actually be able to kill someone even if they have done many bad things in the past. I think that if people want to live, they should be able to do that but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want him to suffer either. I would probably capture the Joker and let other people decide his punishment, as I would also feel so if I killed the Joker.


What makes care ethics unique from utilitarianism, deontology and care ethics?
- Virtue ethics is about doing good deeds to be a good person. This is in contrast to deontology since deontology is about doing the right thing, but not for the reason of being a good person but making that choice based on the fact that it is the right, moral and correct thing to do in that situation. Whatever a deontologist chooses must be the right thing all the time even if that can make you a bad person in some circumstances.
- Compared to utilitarianism which is where you want to maximise the amount of happiness, a virtue ethicist would consider not just the happiness involved, but if the action makes you a virtuous human being.
- Care ethics is about doing an action or making a choice based on the relationship that you have with the person. Virtue ethicists could choose to do an action that might damage their relationship with the other person, but since it makes them a good person that is the option they would choose.



An interesting fact: A good deed is something that fits between a golden mean which lies between the two extremes, the deficiency vice and the excess vice.

[samanthar]

Would you kill the joker?

I would not kill the Joker.

I believe that no one should ever end the life of another. For Homo Sapiens, the probability of being born is roughly 1 in 400 trillion (that is 1 in 400, 000, 000, 000, 000). It is honestly remarkable that we are alive in this world! Life is such a rare and precious and short experience; no one lives for ever. Therefore prematurely ending the life of another is just wrong, considering how unlikely our existence even is and how short our time on Earth is anyway.

Do not get me wrong though, the Joker is has done some truly horrific things in the movies! He has taken the lives of so many innocent people (including the parents of Bruce Wayne) and therefore honestly he may not deserve to live. However, although his actions were absolutely appalling and disgusting, I personally believe killing the Joker himself would not bring justice to the situation. Killing Joker would not bring the people whom he has murdered back; it would not erase the grief and suffering the families and friends of the murdered would have and are enduring. By killing the Joker himself I would just be bringing more violence, murder, death and pain to the world. I would also be ending the life of someone who had a 1 in 400 trillion chance of being alive. Murdering him therefore would not make the situation better. I mean, sure, the death of the Joker may bring temporary satisfaction, however nothing can undo the pain he has caused.










What makes virtue ethics different from the other ethics areas (deontology; utilitarianism; care ethics)?

Virtue ethics is the ethics which revolves around you being virtuous and a good person.

Unlike utilitarianism, it does not focus on overall happiness; rather, it focusses on you leading a eudemonic life full of you making good deeds corresponding to the 'golden mean'. In this way virtue ethics almost centres around you as a person, as opposed to people as a whole, although the way in which your deeds impacts others helps determine how virtuous a person you are.

Deontologists believe you must live a good life by following by the moral laws of Immanuel Kant. These are a set of laws dictating how one must lead their lives. Virtue ethicists believe on the other hand that they should live a eudaimonic life. This is created being virtuous - making good choices and doing what makes you a good person. Virtues are not rules like the moral laws of Immanuel Kant; rather they are life enriching values that we should display through our actions and responses in order to have a better wellbeing. A virtuous choice is something that fits within the golden mean.
So basically while in deontology a good deed is one that adheres to a set of rules, in virtue ethics a good deed is one that lies in between the deficiency vice and the excess vice, at the golden mean of a virtue.

Care ethics focusses more on your relationships between people. Virtue ethics on the other hand centres around your values and beliefs.

So essentially, I guess that virtue ethics focusses more on you, your values and the virtues displayed in your deeds, rather than others as a whole.

One thing that I have learnt...

That Aristotle believed that a good deed was one that rested at his "golden mean". By doing virtuous actions corresponding to the golden mean you would be living in eudaimonia.

Thank you so much for making these cool and super informative videos Anna! I really appreciate it ❤.

[s.tan]

I would kill the Joker to put him out of the collective misery of Gotham City. The Joker is in fact, mentally ill, which explains his actions but doesn't excuse them. He may be trapped in his own mind, in which killing him would mercy killing. But if I was Batman, who has a "reputation" and "morals" and "ethics" (whatever those are) I would probably not kill him (as he does in the movies)

What makes virtue ethics different from other ethical theories is that virtues ethics is doing good things for the sake of becoming a good person. The others focus on others things, such as right and wrong (Deontology), human happiness (Utilitarianism), and relationships (Care Ethics). So each ethical theory focus on different things.

Virtue ethics focuses on yourself, rather than other people.