Assignment

1
Assignment

• Virtue ethics and Chinese values

2
Final Paper Assignment

• What are the major virtues in modern China?
• In other words, what are 4-12 basic
  characteristics of an ideal Chinese person?

3
Virtue ethics approach

• Identify an ideal person
• Study what he/she does differently from others
• Define good as what leads to becoming such an
  ideal person
• Use this knowledge as a means to self-development

4
History of virtue ethics

• Independently developed in Greece, India, and
  China
• Foundation of Western ethics (Aristotle)
• Foundation of Confucian ethics

5
Identify an ideal person

• Major source of difference between virtue ethics
  systems
• Culture-based selection
• Ideal vs. actual people

6
Aristotles virtue ethics

• Ideal person Educated Greek aristocrat
• Moral Virtue a means between two extremes, an
  excess and a defect, with respect to a particular
  action or emotion.
• Guideline moderation
• Goal happiness

7
Aristotles cardinal virtues(the most important)

• Courage (fortitude moral virtue)
• Temperance (moral virtue)
• Prudence (intellectual virtue)
• Justice (social virtue)

8
Courage

• The mean between the extremes of cowardice and
  foolhardiness with respect to the emotion of fear

9
Temperance

• The mean between the extremes of self-indulgence
  and insensibility with respect to the desire for
  pleasures of the body (eating, drinking, sex).

10
Aquinass Christian cardinal virtues

• Fortitude
• Temperance
• Prudence
• Justice
• Faith
• Hope
• Charity (pure love)

11
Confucian virtues

• Benevolence ?
• Righteousness ? ?
• Propriety, Appropriate Behavior ? ?
• Wisdom ?

12
Modern American Virtues (from William Bennett,
The Book of Virtues)

• Self-discipline
• Compassion
• Responsibility
• Friendship
• Work
• Courage
• Perseverance
• Honesty
• Loyalty
• Faith
• Persistence

13
Final Paper Assignment

• What are the major virtues in modern China?
• In other words, what are 4-12 basic
  characteristics of an ideal Chinese person?