Why Virtue Ethics Matters

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What is the point of ethics? Is it to understand what moral rules or principles we ought to follow? Is it to understand the nature of right and wrong? Is it to come up with a foolproof definition of the good life? Is it to find a method or theory we can use to resolve difficult and controversial ethical issues?

I believe all of these are important and are worth reading about and reflecting upon as we seek to understand ethics. But I am in agreement with those philosophers, past and present, who contend that character is the most fundamental dimension of the moral life. This is a theory known as virtue ethics.

Why think this is so?

1. Virtue ethics, with its focus on character and human flourishing, gives us a more complete picture of the moral life.

Many who advocate for virtue ethics focus on the value of emotions and on friendship as being central to a fulfilled human life, including the moral life. Emotions matter for many reasons. One such reason related to ethics is that they show us who we are. What I care about, what I'm angry about, what spurs empathy and compassion in me, all of this tells me something about who I am.

And when we think of a fulfilled human life, we tend to think of those deeper relationships with others, where there is mutual care, concern, and love. Friendship, taken broadly to include all such relationships, is vital to human happiness.

2. Virtue ethics is intensely practical.

One of the major elements of virtue ethics is the cultivation and application of the virtue of practical wisdom. Our lives, including our moral lives, are too complicated to be completely reduced to a set of moral rules or principles. The context we are in matters; the nuances and the tensions must be accounted for in ways that many rule-based systems are unable to do.

Having practical wisdom—the ability to take important truths and apply them to one's particular circumstances in ways that lead to flourishing and contribute to the common good—is vital for individuals and their communities. Nothing could be more practical than being able to live a life of wisdom, courage, self-control, justice, compassion, hope, and love in the midst of one's friends, family, and community.

3. Virtue ethics encourages us to care for ourselves and others.

Adopting a virtue-based approach to life takes into account our personal well-being and happiness. The idea is that when we are patient, compassionate, courageous, and so on, this contributes to and even constitutes our personal happiness. But notice that the virtues are also other-regarding. That is, they are concerned with the well-being and happiness of other people. When we are patient, loving, humble, or compassionate with another person, that is a way of caring for them. Sometimes this requires a sacrifice on our part, but it is worth it to contribute to the welfare of others.

The point of ethics, then, is to understand what it means to be a good human being and then learn how to do that in our own lives. It is to understand the good life and how to lead it. In short, the point is to be good for ourselves and others. And virtue ethics adds that, given human nature, this is the way to happiness.