THE VIRTUE THEORY

By: Michael WittkowskeNicole Herriges

Danielle JohnsonNikki Van Riper

THE MEANING OF VIRTUE From the Latin vir, “man” The original interpretation of having manly warlike qualities like courage and martial valor

FOUR MAIN CLASSIFICATION

Classical Greek Medieval Catholicism Modern Western View Eastern Asian Cultural View

CLASSICAL GREEK

MEDIEVAL CATHOLICISM

Add Three Theological Virtues to the Classical

Greek Faith

Hope Charity

SEVEN DEADLY SINS

MODERN WESTERN SOCIETY According to Joseph Pieper, Three Categories

Self- Control Self- Efficacy

Virtues of Regard

EASTERN ASIAN CULTURAL VIEW

Chinese Sage Confucius (551-479 BCE)

Main View on Humanity Humaneness

Kindheartedness Benevolence

BUDDHISM “the Buddha” means “the Enlightened

One”

Founded by Siddhartha Gautama (fifth century BCE)

THE DHAMMAPADA

To do no evilTo cultivate good

To purify one’s mind

This is the teaching of theBuddha

BUDDHIST KEY VIRTUES

Tranquility Nonattachment Compassion Truthful speech and thought “right

livelihood” Finding a way to live that does

not increase your own or others’ suffering; and nonviolence

TAOISM

Yin-Yang

TAO TE CHING

The founding expression of Taoism

TAOISM (A.K.A. DAOISM)

“Be still like the mountain and flow like a great river” Lao Tse

Embodies harmony of opposites “there would be no love without hate, no light without dark, no male without female”

MODERN PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

Hippocratic Oath (physician’s oath)

Teacher’s must be supportive and accurate with their information

Journalism must remain non-biased

Truck drivers and Airline Pilots must remain alert at all times

PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDES

Oregon, Washington, and Montana have legalized physician assisted suicide

Contradicts the Hippocratic Oath

“I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect”

CRITICISMS

Self-CenterednessAction-GuidingMoral Luck

QUESTIONS

How does professional ethics better our quality of goods and services?

Is living by a theory of virtues worthy?

Is the eastern society’s views more virtuous than our western society’s view?