The Philosophical and Moral Component of Virtue Ethics - Movie Review Example

The paper "The Philosophical and Moral Component of Virtue Ethics" is a good example of a movie review on philosophy. The lecture attempts to explain the intricacies that revolve around the philosophical yet moral component of virtue ethics. It is important to understand the history of virtue ethics to disseminate the facets that make up the topic. The lecture makes it evident that virtue ethics stemmed from the Greeks’ perspective to the modern-day philosophers who view virtue ethics as a moral obligation among humanity. The video illustrates the transition of virtue ethics from the Greeks who viewed it as a source of good living. The rise of Judaism and Christianity broadened the scope of virtue ethics and termed it as divine commands. Finally, due to continued secularism, the scope shifted to a subject of moral law terming virtue ethics as the most appropriate thing to do.

The video continues to explain the modern-day view of virtue ethics as propelled by philosophers such as John Stuart Mill (utilitarianism) and Emmanuel Kant (Absolutism). According to the theory of utilitarianism, virtue ethics entail maximizing the good for the greatest population. On the other hand, the theory of absolutism entails accepting and following a set of beliefs as an obligation.
However, the lecture creates a point of deviation from the theoretical point of view to a simplified perspective of virtue ethics as described by Aristotle. The video points out that Aristotle based his perspective on virtue ethics as the good of man. In addition, a comparison of such perspective with that of the Bible indicates that humanity ought to love without conditions or a set of beliefs. The explanation derived from the video indicates that virtue ethics is a balance between two extremes; that of deficiency and excess. As such, virtue ethics is about morality. In addition, Aristotle’s perspective, as per the video, indicates that such a balance entails what humanity considers as good rather than a set of guidelines and beliefs as that of absolutism. Read More