Explain Aristotles Virtue Ethics.

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Aristotles theory of virtues ethics, outlined in his book Nichomachean Ethics, is an
agent-centred theory in which the fundamental aspect is that every art and every
investigation and similarly every action and pursuit is considered to aim at some
good, this aim or telos for Aristotle is eudaimonia human flourishing or happiness.
Aristotle identifies eudaimonia, flourishing, as living well and doing well, one must
use ones full capacity as a human to flourish as a moral individual. A humans
distinctive function (ergon) is rationality: the ability to reason and the ability to obey
reason. As rationality is the distinctive ergon in humans, the excellence of human
beings, otherwise known as aret, is one where reason functions well; evidence of
reason functioning well is bringing all aspects of ones character under the control of
reason, this is the virtuous life. Eudaimonia is further stated to be an activity of soul
in accordance with virtue, therefore it is through virtue (efficient functioning of
reason) one achieves eudaimonia. To rationally control ones character will take a
complete lifetime.
Aristotle speaks of human goodness as an activity of the soul; he separates the
soul into a rational and an irrational part. The rational part of the soul is the source of
all intellectual virtue, namely the scientific and calculative aspect of a human. This
includes the process of making a decision and the function of logic, knowledge of
topics. The irrational part of the soul holds the moral virtues which are the
desiderative and the nutritional and growth part. The nutritional and growth aspect of
the soul constitutes basic human instinct to eat, drink and procreate; the desiderative
part is of our desires which can be controlled and stopped. The rational needs to be
in control in order for one to develop virtues as it is ones rationality which controls
desires, by controlling ones desires one develops moral virtue and can therefore
achieve eudaimonia.
A virtue is a good habit or quality that allows the bearer to succeed at his or her or its
purpose, the purpose being eudaimonia. Virtues make a human good and make him
perform his function well. Aristotles Virtue Ethics distinguishes two types of virtue:
intellectual and moral. Intellectual virtues are qualities of the mind and include having
wisdom and understanding and prudence; these qualities are from a rational part of
ones soul and can therefore be taught. There are a total of nine intellectual virtues,
five primary virtues: technical skill, scientific knowledge, prudence, intelligence and
wisdom and four secondary: resourcefulness, understanding, judgement and
cleverness. Moral virtues are qualities of the character which can only be obtained
through habit, liberality and temperance are moral virtues. Moral virtues fall in
between the extreme and the deficient, the mean between two vices.
The doctrine of the mean is a mean between two extremes, the one involving
excess and the other deficiency. This is essential to Aristotles Virtue Ethics as the
virtuous agent is one that finds the balance between the extremes, right quantities of

anything and everything increases and preserves health. One must be the mean of
everything, damage is done to the soul of one gives into extremities to often or too
little. An example of a mean is seen through one of twelve virtues, courage, an
excess of courage is rashness and its deficiency is cowardice. It must be noted that
the moral mean is not a mathematical mean nor can the moral mean be exercised
in every situation, for example, in a case where ones family has passed away,
acting insensibly (a deficiency) seems understandable. Aristotle also states the
doctrine of the mean, the midway point, can only be applied to emotions which have
a scale of value, for an example, murder is inherently evil and cannot be given a
scale as it is considered to be fundamentally wrong. Finally, one must deliberately
choose to be virtuous as an act of free will.