What's the main criticism?

That it gives vague guidance about what to actually do in a specific dilemma.

Are there Eastern parallels?

Confucian ideas of ren, the junzi, and the doctrine of the mean are often compared to it.

Virtue Ethics

🤔 Philosophy & Ethics By CampusDown Wiki Editorial Team Last updated October 26, 2026

Virtue ethics puts character at the center of morality: being a good person with virtues like courage, honesty, and temperance matters more than rules or outcomes alone.

Contents

1. What question does virtue ethics ask?
2. What are the golden mean and practical wisdom?
3. FAQ
4. References

What question does virtue ethics ask?

Utilitarianism asks which outcome is best; deontology asks which rule to follow. Virtue ethics asks, "What kind of person should I be?" Aristotle saw the ultimate human goal as living well—eudaimonia, or flourishing—and held that virtuous character is what makes it possible.

What are the golden mean and practical wisdom?

Each virtue is a mean between excess and deficiency: courage lies between recklessness and cowardice. The mean isn't a mathematical midpoint—it depends on the situation, which is why we need practical wisdom (phronesis). Virtues are built through habit. In the mid-20th century, Anscombe and MacIntyre revived virtue ethics as an alternative to rule-based theories.

FAQ

What's the main criticism?: That it gives vague guidance about what to actually do in a specific dilemma.
Are there Eastern parallels?: Confucian ideas of ren, the junzi, and the doctrine of the mean are often compared to it.

Sources reviewed: 2026-10-25

References

Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics, Books II–VI.
Anscombe, G. E. M. (1958). Modern moral philosophy. Philosophy, 33(124), 1–19.
MacIntyre, A. (1981). After Virtue. University of Notre Dame Press.

Reports and materials that use this theory (Korean)

There are no materials dedicated to this theory yet, but you can search related reports in the CampusDown library (Korean).

Find more reports · Search '덕 윤리' on CampusDown →

UtilitarianismWhat is utilitarianism? The principle of the greatest happiness, Bentham’s hedonic calculus vs Mill’s higher pleasures, act and rule utilitarianism, Peter Singer, the trolley problem, objections from Kant and Rawls, and utilitarian thinking in cost-benefit analysis and criminal justice.🤔 Philosophy & Ethics Kant's Practical Reason and Moral PhilosophyKant's practical reason and moral philosophy: the good will and duty, hypothetical vs categorical imperatives, the universal law, humanity and kingdom of ends formulas, autonomy, the highest good and postulates of practical reason, and criticisms.🤔 Philosophy & Ethics StoicismWhat Stoicism is, where it came from, the dichotomy of control, key teachings of Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius, and how Stoic ideas shaped cognitive behavioral therapy and modern self-help.🤔 Philosophy & Ethics Trolley ProblemWhat the trolley problem is, the switch and footbridge versions, why utilitarians and deontologists split, the doctrine of double effect, and how the dilemma shows up in self-driving car ethics and the Moral Machine study.🤔 Philosophy & Ethics

Latest ArticlesView all ›

New guides for college study and assignments (Korean)

This article was last updated on October 26, 2026. It is based on widely recognized original works and textbooks; when citing it in a paper, please check the original sources listed in the references.