Marcus consistently helps his elderly neighbor carry groceries, but he does so only because he wants his neighbors to think well of him. How would a virtue ethicist evaluate Marcus's behavior?
AMarcus is fully virtuous because he performs the virtuous action (helping) reliably and consistently
BMarcus is fully virtuous because his actions have good consequences for his neighbor
CMarcus is not fully virtuous because genuine virtue requires acting with the right motivation and feeling, not just performing the correct action
DMarcus is virtuous as long as helping eventually becomes habitual, regardless of the underlying motive
For virtue ethicists, what you do is not the whole story — why you do it and how you feel while doing it matter equally. A truly virtuous person does the right thing because they genuinely care about others (proper motivation) and finds it natural and satisfying (proper feeling), not as a performance for social approval. Marcus's consistent behavior might eventually cultivate genuine virtue through habituation, but as described he lacks the motivational and affective dimensions that distinguish virtue from mere rule-following or reputation management.
Question 2 Multiple Choice
Which question is most central to virtue ethics, distinguishing it from both deontological and consequentialist frameworks?
AWhat rule applies to this situation, and do my actions comply with it?
BWhat are the likely consequences of my action, and will they produce the best overall outcome?
CWhat kind of person am I becoming through my choices, and am I cultivating the character traits of a flourishing life?
DWhat would a rational agent behind a veil of ignorance choose as a fair principle for this situation?
Virtue ethics shifts the primary ethical question from 'what should I do?' (the focus of deontology and consequentialism) to 'what kind of person should I be?' The framework evaluates character — stable dispositions to act, feel, and judge well — rather than individual actions or their outcomes. Deontology asks about rules and duties; consequentialism asks about effects; virtue ethics asks about the person performing the action and the character they are building through their choices.
Question 3 True / False
According to virtue ethics, virtues are stable dispositions developed through repeated practice and habituation — not innate personality traits you either have or don't.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: True
This is Aristotle's central claim: we become just by performing just acts, courageous by performing courageous acts. Virtues are not gifts of temperament — they are cultivated through practice until the disposition becomes second nature. This has important implications: moral development is possible for anyone, and moral education consists in habituating people to feel and act well, not merely teaching them rules. It also explains why children need moral formation, not just moral instruction.
Question 4 True / False
Virtue ethics holds that the primary ethical question is 'what should I do in this situation?' — the same basic question as deontology and consequentialism, just with a different answer.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: False
Virtue ethics reframes the question itself, not just the answer. Where deontology and consequentialism both ask 'what is the right action?' (applying rules or calculating outcomes), virtue ethics asks 'what kind of person should I be?' and 'what would a person of good character do?' This is not merely a different method for answering the same question — it is a different unit of analysis (character vs. action) and a different timeframe (a life vs. a situation). The two framings can give different guidance in cases where the 'right action' is unclear but the requirements of good character are not.
Question 5 Short Answer
Why does virtue ethics require 'practical wisdom' (phronesis) in addition to specific virtues like courage and honesty? What problem does practical wisdom solve that having virtues alone cannot?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: Virtues can conflict with each other in concrete situations — honesty and compassion may pull in different directions when a truth would cause needless harm; courage and prudence may clash when boldness becomes recklessness. Virtues are general dispositions, not algorithms. Practical wisdom (phronesis) is the capacity to perceive what a situation actually demands, weigh competing considerations, and determine what virtue requires in this specific context. It bridges the gap between knowing that honesty is a virtue and knowing how honest to be with a grieving friend at 2am. Without phronesis, virtue ethics degenerates into rigid rule-following under different names.
Aristotle considered phronesis the master virtue precisely because it is what makes all other virtues function correctly in context. Courage without practical wisdom becomes recklessness; honesty without it becomes cruelty. The virtuous person is not someone who applies a fixed rule — they are someone who perceives the morally relevant features of a situation and responds appropriately.