How is Virtue Ethics used exactly?

Question

I am a bit confused with how it is practiced and also with some of the details and context associated with it. Can someone please help me out?

Answer 1

vir·tue

vir·tue [vúrchoo]
n (plural vir·tues)
1. goodness: the quality of being morally good or righteous
a paragon of virtue

2. good quality: a particular quality that is morally good
Patience is a virtue.

3. admirable quality: a particular quality that is good or admirable, but not necessarily in terms of morality
4. cardinal or theological morality: any of the cardinal virtues, such as justice or moderation, or of the theological virtues, such as hope or charity
5. chastity: the moral quality of being chaste, especially in a woman
6. worth: the worth, advantage, or beneficial quality of something
knew the virtue of thrift

7. effective force: the power or efficacy that something contains to do something (archaic)


npl or vir·tues
christianity order of angels: the fifth of the nine traditional orders in the hierarchy of angels


[12th century. Via Old French vertu from the Latin stem virtut- “manliness, excellence, worth,” from vir “man, husband.”]


-vir·tue·less, adj
by virtue of because of, through the power of, or by the authority of something
make a virtue of necessity to do something with good grace, when you are obligated to do it anyway

eth·ics

eth·ics [éthiks]
n
1. study of morality’s effect on conduct: the study of moral standards and how they affect conduct (takes a singular verb) Also called moral philosophy
2. code of morality: a system of moral principles governing the appropriate conduct for an individual or group (takes a plural verb)


[15th century. Via Old French ethiques from, ultimately, Greek ēthika , from ēthikos “ethical” (see ethic).]
Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Answer 2

details and context are a bit big for this forum..... this stuff goes back to Plato & many threads can be traced back to ancient oriental thought.

in a nutshell virtue ethics wants to discover what makes a good person, rather than on what makes a good action.

good person vs. good action as a way to communicate ethics and the application of them based on the consequenses of actions.

the example from user 'real friend' is valid even though it denotes an action based on the life raft and sharp objects, because each individual has a highest 'good' based on their world - the life raft.

so then the question becomes - - what is good ?

Answer 3

it consists of a system of behaviors that support an ultimate goal or value. 1st name that supreme value and then devise a system of rules that would support that value. Let's say you were in an inflatable life raft, and your life was your highest value; Then keeping sharp instruments away from the raft, would be a higher virtue.