Ethics Exam Essay

1)Give the complete definition Aristotle offers of eudaimonia? EUDAIMONIA MEANS HAPPINESS/ FLOURISHING DEFINED AS AN ACTIVITY OF THE SOUL IN ACCORDANCE WITH COMPLETE VIRTUE WITH ADEQUATE EXTERNAL GOODS IN A COMPLETE LIFE This involves one’s life as a whole and consists in action in accord with reason Eudaimonia is not achieved through pleasure, wealth, honor or even virtue on its own. What is an external good? Are external goods necessary or sufficient for happiness? While internal goods are more important, adequate external goods are necessary but not sufficient condition for eudaimonia. External goods from Aristotle’s view include good birth, sufficient wealth and friends. These external goods enable a person to practice complete virtue, because in many practices we use wealth (generosity), friends and political power (justice). Aristotle also includes good birth, good children and even outer beauty. Claiming that we cannot have the character of happiness if we look repulsive, we are childless, ill-born or live in solidarity. (Book one chapter 8) Is virtue necessary or sufficient for happiness? Happiness depends primarily on character and action in accordance with complete virtue, it is not something we can passively receive from other people or external circumstances and good fortune. it is Aristotle’s view that virtue is necessary but not sufficient for eudaimonia. Virtue alone cannot bring happiness because someone who suffers the worst evils and has no friends or external goods would not be considered happy by any means besides idealistic philosophy What is the most important aspect of happiness? Why? What kind of activities is Aristotle referring to? 3 different types of activity 1. Activity done for it’s own sake 2. Activity only done for the sake of an end 3. Activity both for it’s own sake and for the sake of an end Happiness is the highest goal because it is complete in it’s self, done for it’s own sake. 2) What is Aristole’s view of self love? When is it good and when is it bad? Why do people confuse this? P146 3) GIVE EXAMPLES of 3 virtues in aristoles, showing each is a mean in regard to feeling or actions (be specific) and say what the extremes of the excess and deficiency are. Courage the mean in regard to feelings of fear and confidence in threatening situations excess: arrogant, reckless, rash, lack fear when needed deficiency: fearful, cowardice, timid Generosity the mean in regard to the action of giving and taking resources excess: wasteful, irresponsible, impulsive deficiency: selfishness, stinginess, greedy Friendliness is the mean with regard to actions that cause pleasure and pain in others excess: people pleaser deficiency: quarrelsome 4) Why are the pursuits of pleasure and honor rejected as the good life?p4 and p19 1. The vulgar perceive happiness as pleasure, a life of gratification appears slavish like animal activities/grazing cows. 2. The political person perceives happiness as honor, insufficient because it can come and go and depends on those giving honor making it too external and superficial 5) Are virtue and vice voluntary? Can we change who we are? Explain aristotles view and your own Yes, virtue and vice are voluntary, both virtue and vice are in harmony with our desires and reason. vice develops after the character of someone becomes so that they preceive what is bad as good, this person according to aristole is still held responsible for their activity even though they can’t on their own change their character due to their perception. I think we can change with outside intervention. 6) What is the relationship between knowledge and virtue in Aristotle? Are the virtues of thought necessary or sufficient for moral virtue? What kind of wisdom matters here? p162 7) What are the three types of friendship? Why is the best one the best?p121 1. Loving the other due to utility 2. loving the other due to pleasure 3. loving the other for their own sake (complete friendship) only people of virtuous charcater can have complete friendship because it requires simular virtue between 2 people and ability to know and have confidence in the other persons character. It is the only friendship that continues past utlity and pleasure. 8) What are the three features self-love and friendship have in common? 1. Enjoy spending time together 2. Love the other for their own sake 3. share in pleasure and pains With self-love: Enjoy yourself, love yourself for your own sake, have intrinsic value within yourself, and share in your own pleasures and pains. 9) What is the difference between theoretical wisdom and practical wisdom, or prudence? How is each acquired? P90 Practical wisdom or prudence – a state of grasping the truth, concerned w/action, things that are good or bad for a human being prudence and virtue are necessary and sufficient for one another 10) What is the difference between continence and virtue? Is incontinence or vice easier to cure and why? p110   incontinence: to know (or maybe just believe) what is the good action and choose otherwise, your desire is different than your reason 11) Aristotle’s ethics depend upon no metaphysics or myths regarding the gods or the afterlife, yet he does make the assumption about human nature that equates goodness with happiness. What are these assumptions? Virginia Held What are Virginia Held’s claims are the 3 main masculine biases in history of ethics? Are they relevant today? 1. Dichotomy between reason and emotion Reason:rational:male as emotion:irrational :female Reason controls emotions 2. Split between public and private Mothering: natural and biological, women just reproduce life, driven by instinct, irrelevant to morality Man is human making history cultural, transcending his animal nature 3. Concept of self as individualistic rather the dependent and having particular relationships. How it effects today: â€Å"just add women mentality is not enough to fix how emotion and private life has been left out of ethics. New theories are needed that include emotions, nurturance of children and social relations beyond the scope of business. This requires reevaluating the importance of the home and children. Achtenburg What are the 2 necessary moments in feminism? Which do you think is important right now? 1. Claiming general human characteristics that have wrongly been called male (universal principles, dispassion, autonomy) 2. Elevating characteristics considered to be only female and devalued, (passion, particular relationships and community and connection, Feminist care ethics say embrace elevate gender dichotomy) I think it is important right now to elevate those â€Å"female† characteristics as valuable, for the private to be of value as equally as the public How does Aristotle provide a solution to the split between reason and emotion? 1. For a person with well-developed character emotions and reason are in harmony, not mere continence, emotions and reasons have the same aim. 2. Emotions are types of cognition, all types of pleasure and pain are from perceiving particulars that are good as good and that are bad as bad MacIntyre What is the tension between patriotism and liberal morality? Why does each view see the other as a moral danger? Patriotism is a kind of loyalty to a particular nation this conflicts with liberal moral theory because liberal morals uphold impartiality. Patriots see liberal morality as a threat to social bonds within a community and that it endangers the survival of such because it abandons all reason for defense. Liberal moralist think patriotism justifies war and can lead us into blindly following our government