The Notions of Virtue and Morality - Assignment Example

Running head: Mid Term Essays Mid Term Essays Inserts His/her Question The notion of virtue is a something which has attracted much debate from philosophers and social thinkers since the time of Socrates. Almost all philosophers have attempted to define what a virtuous action is. There have been so much written on the subject that it is very difficult for a lay man to come to a conclusion. Different schools of thoughts have given different ideas about ethics and virtue, and no idea is immune to criticism. The problem that does one has to be a virtuous person to perform a virtuous act is also not new in the realm of philosophy. There are many perspectives on this issue. But the answer to this question is rather simple. One issue with philosophy is that it has clouded many important debates in voluminous words and obscure theories. The books written on the subject are so difficult and confusing that they are not doing the good they must do to the society. The disparity between the understanding of a lay man and philosophy has harmed, in my opinion, the world. The answer is very simple. There is no point in this argument that a person has to be virtuous in order to perform a virtuous action. The first problem with this statement is that who and how this virtuous man will be defined. According to Aristotle a person is virtuous if he displays a moderate behavior that is a behavior that is between the two extremes (Bostock, 2000). He also believed that virtue is something that can only be learnt and one is not born a virtuous man. Without commenting on the Doctrine of Mean of Aristotle, I would like to agree with Aristotle on this part that virtue is acquired and is not something that a person enjoys from birth. The idea that virtue is learnt provides answer to our question. Virtue if learnt can be achieved by any person, and not just a virtuous person. Anyone can learn to become virtuous can in turn can perform a virtuous act. Even if a person has not acquired all the traits of a virtuous person, he can perform a virtuous action if he has learnt that particular virtuous behavior. We should understand this by an example. A person who has all the traits of a virtuous man in considered virtuous. Now if there is a person who has only some traits of a virtuous man, like he is honest and just, but not all traits of a virtuous man (he is not courageous) then he can perform virtuous (just and honest) acts. He may not be courageous but he can perform a virtuous act. If virtue is acquired and not granted by birth, then a person who is not courageous today can become courageous tomorrow. So this question that, how a person who lacks the virtue of courage can perform a courageous action is answered. He can learn to be courageous and even if he is not courageous, he can perform other virtuous acts and this proves that a virtuous person is not the only one who can perform virtuous actions. Question 2 Morality is also a term that is discussed in great detail by philosophers. The idea of good or bad is something that is the center of focus of many great philosophers. The distinction of good and bad is very important for the society and its members. The aim of philosophers has always been to educate the masses and tell them about what is good and what is not. Many philosophers have used the term morality is different context. Nietzsche has discussed morality in terms of slaves and masters. This distinction of morality is governed by the aristocratic ideas of Nietzsche. The master morality is the values of the noble and the rich aristocracy class. This morality inspires courage and pride as the main values. The slave morality is the morality of the poor. The masses subscribe to this kind of morality, and kindness and sympathy are the virtues of slave morality. These are the two moralities that Nietzsche has discussed. Our society today is characterized by both of the above mentioned moralities. The salve morality is seen in the people and the master morality has also lent its impressions to our world. It is difficult to name anyone kind of morality that is dominant in our world. But in my opinion the effects of master morality are more visible in today’s world. We should say that the people who matter in our world today are subscribed by slave morality. The politicians and the aristocracy of the world are following master morality to the fullest extent. Their behaviors are characterized by the traits Nietzsche described as the traits of master morality. They are unaware of compassion and sympathy, and pride dictates their actions. They have no care for the people, but they only care about their strength and power. Slave morality is still practiced by the masses but the rulers are under the influence of master morality. The majority of people are actually characterized by slave morality, but the effects of master morality are visible all over the world. This is the reason why I think master morality is more influential in our society. I think it will be better if we lean towards the slave morality as it will be beneficial for the people of the society. Slave morality actually breeds virtues that are beneficial for the society as a whole. While the virtues of the master morality take care of a particular aristocratic the slave morality aims at improving the whole society. The balance of society will only be restored if salve morality finds its place in the political arenas of the world. These are the places where decisions are made and here slave morality can definitely help the world. Nietzsche was a total aristocrat and was not of the opinion that all humans are equal. He calls the democratic system as the ‘collective degeneration of man’ (Nietzsche p. 127). Therefore he would have advocated master morality in the world today. He was himself an aristocrat so he idealized the master morality. He would have asked to further extend the influence of master morality in today’s world. References Bostock, David (2000). Aristotle’s Ethics. New York: Oxford University Press. Nietzsche, Friedrich (1973). Beyond Good and Evil. London: Penguin Books. Read More