Original Post Discussion 1: Virtue and Teleology To ensure that your initial post starts its own unique thread, do not reply to this post. Instead, please click the "Reply" link above this post. Please read the general discussion requirements above, as well as the announcements explaining the discussion requirements and answering the most frequently asked questions. If you are still unsure about how to proceed with the discussion, please reply to one of those announcements or contact your instructor. Please carefully read and think about the entire prompt before composing your first post. This discussion will require you to have carefully read Chapter 5 of the textbook, as well as the assigned portions of Aristotle’s (1931) Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle’s account of ethics is “teleological”, which means that our understanding of virtue and living well is based on a sense of the “telos” (function, purpose, or end) of something (see Aristotle’s text and the textbook for the full account). 1. Engage with the text: Using at least one quote from the required text(s), explain the relation between virtue and living well on Aristotle’s account, and briefly describe some of the key characteristics of the virtues. 2. Reflect on yourself: Identify an area of your life in which virtues are needed to do well. Explain what the “telos” of that role or activity is, what virtues are needed and why they are needed, and what would be lost if someone tried to be successful in that activity who didn’t exercise the virtues. This might be a role you have, a vocation or career, a hobby, or something common to all of us. 3. Reflect on virtue: In what ways do the virtues you identify display the characteristics Aristotle describes? For instance, you could explain whether they occupy an intermediate between too much and too little of some quality, how they would affect one’s emotions as well as ones actions, etc. 4. Discuss with your peers: Discuss with your peers the answers they gave to these questions, and offer your own additional reflections, questions, challenges, etc. You could consider possible ways in which the virtues may conflict with each other, or may conflict with the virtues needed in other areas of one’s life; whether practicing virtue in these activities may lead to less success as measured by, say, financial benefit or recognition; and so on. Respond back to 4 classmates, 200 words per response. Aristotle. (1931). Nicomachean ethics (W. D. Ross, Trans.). Retrieved from http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.htm Classmate #1 Robert Griffin Hello Class, "What does it mean for a person to live well and to flourish?" (Thames, 2018) "Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason, the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim" (Aristotle, 1931) When reading through the text these were quote that I thought somewhat summed up a lot of chapter 5 and Aristotle’s (1931) Nicomachean Ethics. I enjoyed learning about virtues and morals, it something that you kind of think about all the time but you don't really have a name for why you're thinking about it. When reading Aristotle's theory it can be summed up as happiness. The goal in life and the true aim of a person's virtues and the way they conceptualize their self-image in becoming the best person that they can possibly be. When thinking about morals virtues I think back to last week's lessons on Kant's hypothetical imperatives. Moral virtues seem like virtues at scale such common virtue of a group of people. You need personal virtues in order to create any kind of moral virtue. Looking at this in my personal life right now I'm going through a lot of transition with moving back home and changing jobs. My next job will be in marketing and it's purely a commission-based income. This is taking a risk of the unknown. I will have to sell things in order to survive (dramatic). I believe that a virtue that I much learn to use is empathy in order for me to sell something I have to completely put myself in other people's shoes and think about how they would think. I believe this will help me become a better person in the long run or at least become the person I want to become in a moral sense. Robert Griffin Ref: Aristotle. (1931). Nicomachean ethics (W. D. Ross, Trans.). Retrieved from http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.html Thames, B. (2018). How should one live? Introduction to ethics and moral reasoning (3rd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. Classmate #2 Paul Scott Week 4 - Discussion 1 1. Engage with the text: Virtue ethics maintains that for someone to be a good person, they must possess certain character traits that enable them to live well (Thames, 2018). This theory means that there are specific qualities one must have to live well. These qualities are called moral virtues, and they are required for a person to flourish. According to Aristotle, “the aim of studying ethics is not to gain knowledge but to become better people (Aristotle, 1931, 1103b) (Thames, 2018). There are many different virtue characteristics one may possess, and a few examples of these would be faithfulness, courage, discipline, honesty, and integrity. 2. Reflect on yourself: An area in my life that requires virtues would be my current career. I work as a private banker, and I have approximately 120 clients who rely on me to provide them with financial advice and planning for their future. There are many different virtue characteristics that I must maintain for me to do well in this role. Some of those characteristics would be honesty, compassion, patience, and care. The word “Teleological” means the end, purpose, or function of a person’s life, or what kind of person one should be (Thames, 2018). My human telos would be that my end function or purpose in this stage of my life, would be giving quality financial advice to the people in need. If a person were to ignore these virtue characteristics, it would cause a very negative outcome. If I did not have these specific qualities, I would be unethical in the way that I carry out my position. 3. Reflect on virtue: Through this course, I have taken in a lot of new knowledge on these theories. I can relate to much of what utilitarianism and deontology has to offer and they seem to work together, in some cases. I feel that the topic of virtue ethics has brought a strong connection between these two philosophies. I do agree with Aristotle that one must practice becoming a more ethical person. I am thankful that my parents similarly raised me in this manner. I would say that I have formed honesty as a habit through my upbringing, and while I do not regret this, it does have its vices. I feel sometimes I am too honest, and I do need to work on this because it has caused negative situations in some situations. I believe focusing on improving this virtue quality, and many others will only strengthen my eudaimonia so I can live life well. In conclusion, I believe focusing on my vices from both sides will advance the virtues I already possess. Aristotle. (1931). Nicomachean ethics (W. D. Ross, Trans.). Retrieved from http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.html Thames, B. (2018). How should one live? Introduction to ethics and moral reasoning (3rd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. Classmate # 3 Michael Lesiewicz Engage with the text: When reading the text, Aristotle explains that “living well” is something that can be noticed by other individuals based on what it appears from outside looking in. For example, a “show car” (as stated in the text) needs to be flashy and grab attention of the audience. With that, it can be perceived as a “living well” car. Undenounced to the outsider, the internals of the car may be struggling. I think that is what Aristotle talks about when we learn about happiness not just being a feeling and more of an activity. Virtues relates to living well because it is what is not seen from the outside viewers. As stated from (Aristotle, 193`) in the text, “…the virtue of a man also will be the state of character which makes a man good and which makes him do his own work well” (Thames, 2018). Some of the key characteristics that Aristotle recognized are courage and temperance. Courage explained as having just the right amount of respect for potential harm or danger; temperance being able to control desires (Thames, 2018). Reflect on yourself: As a father, virtues (certainly not limited to) that aide in my ability to do well are: patience, loyalty, and care. If understood correctly, the “telos” that come along with this is that my children have a safe environment to grow and thrive into their adulthood and become great people. If I did not have the virtue of patience, I would diminish my children’s growth in communication skills and growth of their own unique personalities. News flash, not everyone wants to do as Dad says exactly the way he says to. Loyalty and care are important for success because my loyalty to my children means that I will ensure that they are provided for and have every means possible to thrive as children and young adults all while caring for them in a way that they feel comfortable to, at times, fail and know that I will pick them up, “wipe of the tears” and encourage them. 3. Reflect on virtue: The virtue of care, in my example, occupies an intermediate between too much and too little. Too much of said virtue could hinder my children to not being able to care for themselves when they leave the nest whereas; too little of the virtue could hinder the growth of the children. “Therefore virtue is a kind of mean, since, as we have seen, it aims at what is intermediate” (Aristotle, 1931). References Aristotle. (1931). Nicomachean ethics (W. D. Ross, Trans.). Retrieved from http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomacha en.html Thames, B. (2018). How should one live? Introduction to ethics and moral reasoning (3rd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. Classmate #4 Liledwar Useche Aristotle’s account on living well is that we all aim for happiness, he describes happiness as “the chief good at which all of our activities aim and proposes that understanding what happiness is will allow us to “hit the mark” when seeking to make good choices” (Thames, 2018), in other words if someone is living a good life that is flourishing it is the ultimate aim of human life and a life well lived. Aristotle also believes that “happiness is not simply a matter of doing certain things, but being a certain way, which brings us to the last part of Aristotle’s definition of happiness—living “in accordance with virtue.”” (Thames, 2018). In the textbook virtue is described as “a state of character concerned with choice, lying in a mean, i.e. the mean relative to us, this being determined by a rational principle, and by that principle by which the man of practical wisdom would determine it. (Aristotle, 1931, 1107a)” (Thames, 2018). There are four cardinal virtues which are courage, temperance, justice and wisdom. Moral virtues are something that could be essential to the overall accomplishment or living a good life of being happy and flourishing. For example, the telos in being a customer service representative is providing great customer serive. In order to provide exceptional customer service virtues that a customer services representative should have are patience, justice and generosity. If these virtues are were not exercised the representative would not be performing, there job the correct way and the customer would have a bad experience and could potentially not want to do business with the business anymore. Working in a customer service environment can become a habit, but “not only can habits be good, but a well-lived life requires good habits, since that is what virtues are” (Thames, 2018). Reference: Aristotle. (1931). Nicomachean ethics (W. D. Ross, Trans.). Retrieved from http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.htmlLinks to an external site. Thames, B. (2018). How should one live? Introduction to ethics and moral reasoning (3rd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.
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