Ethics And Virtue Ethics By Russ Shafer Landau - 1791 Words

The life of a person may be measured in years, moments, and the number of laughs or cries but what if one were to measure a life on good deeds or on that person’s virtues? The theory and idea of ethics and virtue as conceptualized by the Greek philosopher Aristotle in Nicomachean Ethics and as it is expressed in the pages of The Fundamentals of Ethics by Russ Shafer-Landau is a complex and dubious notion. It is one that is easily related to characters in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. More specifically, Shafer-Landau writes a lot about the importance of normative ethics, virtue ethics, and moral education, complexity, and wisdom. Normative ethics can be explained as the moral relationship one has with another and what moral†¦show more content†¦Nevertheless, he is unable to find true virtue until much later in his life after a series of regrets lead him towards moral wisdom. Amir begins his life as a privileged Pashtun in Kabul. He is the best friend of his servant, Hassan and greatly looks up to his father, Baba, and a friend, Rahim Khan. Amir spends his early life vying for his father’s attention just wanting this need of his to be appeased. His unrelenting want for his father’s approval and pride leads him so far astray from what Baba has been trying to teach him all along. On a winter day in 1975 came about the only time in which Hassan needs Amir most, and yet Amir stands silently and watches as Hassan is raped and changed forever. Amir’s cowardice and incessant need for approval are straining vices of Amir’s character. This event places a mark on Amir’s soul and proves that he is not and, in that state, will never be a virtuous person. Virtue is not bestowed upon a person based on their actions, but upon their traits, thoughts, and inner-workings instilled into them by someone higher up. I do not mean religiously or in age difference, although that may be true in some cases, but in that that pe rson is higher up in their character, goodness, and personal virtues. After all, as it is expressed by Adam Cureton and Thomas Hill regarding Immanuel Kant’s philosophy, â€Å"the aim is not merely to avoid wrongdoing andShow MoreRelatedShafer-Landau and Korsgaard 1283 Words   |  6 Pagesrationalist perspective that rationality defines morality or that moral failings imply rational failings. This concept is supported by Shafer-Landau and Korsgaard while thinkers like Williams and Foot disagree with such a claim. It should be understood that morality and rationality are intertwined were a moral failing correlates with a rational failing. Rush Shafer-Landau believes that to act morally is to act rationally due to his core belief involving moral desire and duty. He believes that an individual’sRead MoreLeading Ethical Theories Of Ethics1891 Words   |  8 PagesLeading Ethical Theories Consequentialism Deontology Virtue Theory example Mill s utilitarianism Kantian ethics Aristotle s moral theory abstract description An action is right if it promotes the best consequences. An action is right if it is in accordance with a moral rule or principle. An action is right if it is what a virtuous agent would do in the circumstances. more concrete specification The best consequences are those in which happiness is maximized. A moral rule is one that is required