Aretaic turn
Encyclopedia
The aretaic turn is a movement in contemporary moral philosophy and ethics
to emphasize character
and human excellence
or virtue
, as opposed to moral rules or consequences. This movement has been extended to other philosophical
disciplines, including epistemology, political philosophy
, and jurisprudence
. The word "aretaic" is derived from the ancient Greek
word arete
, meaning excellence or virtue. "Aretaic" thus means "of or pertaining to virtue or excellence."
One of the earlier modern works that addressed (but did not explicitly mention) the aretaic turn was G. E. M. Anscombe
's paper "Modern Moral Philosophy
," published in 1958. In this work, also notable for its introduction of the term "consequentialism
", Anscombe criticises Kantian, utilitarian, and deontological theories of moral philosophy. Instead, Anscombe argues for Aristotelian
ethics. Since Anscombe's work was published, scholars such as Philippa Foot
, Peter Geach
, Rosalind Hursthouse
, John McDowell
, Michael Slote
, and Christine Swanton have also published works in character and moral philosophy. In the paper "The Schizophrenia of Modern Ethical Theories
," Michael Stocker summarises the main aretaic criticisms of deontological and consequentialist ethics.
The aretaic turn in moral philosophy is paralleled by analogous developments in other philosophical disciplines. One of these is epistemology, where a distinctive virtue epistemology
has been developed by Linda Zagzebski
and others. In political theory, there has been discussion of "virtue politics," and in legal theory, there is a small but growing body of literature on virtue jurisprudence
. The aretaic turn also exists in American constitutional theory
, where proponents argue for an emphasis on virtue and vice of constitutional adjudicator
s.
Aretaic approaches to morality, epistemology, and jurisprudence have been the subject of intense debates. One criticism that is frequently made focuses on the problem of guidance; opponents, such as Robert Louden in his seminal article "Some Vices of Virtue Ethics," question whether the idea of a virtuous moral actor, believer, or judge can provide the guidance necessary for action, belief formation, or the decision of legal disputes.
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
to emphasize character
Moral character
Moral character or character is an evaluation of a particular individual's durable moral qualities. The concept of character can imply a variety of attributes including the existence or lack of virtues such as integrity, courage, fortitude, honesty, and loyalty, or of good behaviors or habits...
and human excellence
Excellence
Excellence is a talent or quality which is unusually good and so surpasses ordinary standards. It is also an aimed for standard of performance.-History:...
or virtue
Virtue
Virtue is moral excellence. A virtue is a positive trait or quality subjectively deemed to be morally excellent and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being....
, as opposed to moral rules or consequences. This movement has been extended to other philosophical
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
disciplines, including epistemology, political philosophy
Political philosophy
Political philosophy is the study of such topics as liberty, justice, property, rights, law, and the enforcement of a legal code by authority: what they are, why they are needed, what, if anything, makes a government legitimate, what rights and freedoms it should protect and why, what form it...
, and jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
. The word "aretaic" is derived from the ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
word arete
Arete (excellence)
Arete , in its basic sense, means excellence of any kind. In its earliest appearance in Greek, this notion of excellence was ultimately bound up with the notion of the fulfillment of purpose or function: the act of living up to one's full potential...
, meaning excellence or virtue. "Aretaic" thus means "of or pertaining to virtue or excellence."
One of the earlier modern works that addressed (but did not explicitly mention) the aretaic turn was G. E. M. Anscombe
G. E. M. Anscombe
Gertrude Elizabeth Margaret Anscombe , better known as Elizabeth Anscombe, was a British analytic philosopher from Ireland. A student of Ludwig Wittgenstein, she became an authority on his work and edited and translated many books drawn from his writings, above all his Philosophical Investigations...
's paper "Modern Moral Philosophy
Modern Moral Philosophy
Modern Moral Philosophy was an influential article on moral philosophy by G. E. M. Anscombe, originally published in the journal Philosophy, vol. 33, no. 124 ....
," published in 1958. In this work, also notable for its introduction of the term "consequentialism
Consequentialism
Consequentialism is the class of normative ethical theories holding that the consequences of one's conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgment about the rightness of that conduct...
", Anscombe criticises Kantian, utilitarian, and deontological theories of moral philosophy. Instead, Anscombe argues for Aristotelian
Aristotelianism
Aristotelianism is a tradition of philosophy that takes its defining inspiration from the work of Aristotle. The works of Aristotle were initially defended by the members of the Peripatetic school, and, later on, by the Neoplatonists, who produced many commentaries on Aristotle's writings...
ethics. Since Anscombe's work was published, scholars such as Philippa Foot
Philippa Foot
Philippa Ruth Foot was a British philosopher, most notable for her works in ethics. She was one of the founders of contemporary virtue ethics...
, Peter Geach
Peter Geach
Peter Thomas Geach is a British philosopher. His areas of interest are the history of philosophy, philosophical logic, and the theory of identity.He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford...
, Rosalind Hursthouse
Rosalind Hursthouse
-Biography:Hursthouse spent her childhood in New Zealand and taught for many years at the Open University in England. She was head of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Auckland from 2002 to 2005...
, John McDowell
John McDowell
John Henry McDowell is a South African philosopher, formerly a fellow of University College, Oxford and now University Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Although he has written extensively on metaphysics, epistemology, ancient philosophy, and meta-ethics, McDowell's most influential work...
, Michael Slote
Michael Slote
Michael Slote is UST Professor of Ethics at the University of Miami and is author of From Morality to Virtue and Morals From Motives . He was previously professor of philosophy at the University of Maryland, and at Trinity College Dublin....
, and Christine Swanton have also published works in character and moral philosophy. In the paper "The Schizophrenia of Modern Ethical Theories
The Schizophrenia of Modern Ethical Theories
right|250px|Illustration of moral schizophreniaThe Schizophrenia of Modern Ethical Theories is a popular paper in ethics by Michael Stocker. The central claim of the paper is that some modern ethical theories fail to account for motive in their theories, producing a sort of schizophrenia because...
," Michael Stocker summarises the main aretaic criticisms of deontological and consequentialist ethics.
The aretaic turn in moral philosophy is paralleled by analogous developments in other philosophical disciplines. One of these is epistemology, where a distinctive virtue epistemology
Virtue epistemology
Virtue epistemology is a contemporary philosophical approach to epistemology that stresses the importance of intellectual virtues. It combines the central tenets of virtue theory , with classical epistemological approaches.Intellectual virtue has been a subject of philosophy since the works of...
has been developed by Linda Zagzebski
Linda Trinkaus Zagzebski
Linda Trinkaus Zagzebski is an American philosopher, and is Kingfisher College Chair of Philosophy of Religion and Ethics at the University of Oklahoma. She is a 2011 Guggenheim Fellow....
and others. In political theory, there has been discussion of "virtue politics," and in legal theory, there is a small but growing body of literature on virtue jurisprudence
Virtue jurisprudence
In the philosophy of law, virtue jurisprudence is the name given to theories of law related to virtue ethics. By making the aretaic turn in legal theory, virtue jurisprudence focuses on the importance of character and human excellence or virtue to questions about the nature of law, the content of...
. The aretaic turn also exists in American constitutional theory
Constitutional theory
Constitutional theory is an area of constitutional law that focuses on the underpinnings of constitutional government. It overlaps with legal theory, constitutionalism, philosophy of law and democratic theory...
, where proponents argue for an emphasis on virtue and vice of constitutional adjudicator
Adjudicator
An adjudicator is someone who presides, judges and arbitrates during a formal dispute. The term adjudicator essentially means a judge, without invoking the legal term. An ombudsman is a type of adjudicator in local government in the United Kingdom....
s.
Aretaic approaches to morality, epistemology, and jurisprudence have been the subject of intense debates. One criticism that is frequently made focuses on the problem of guidance; opponents, such as Robert Louden in his seminal article "Some Vices of Virtue Ethics," question whether the idea of a virtuous moral actor, believer, or judge can provide the guidance necessary for action, belief formation, or the decision of legal disputes.
See also
- Virtue ethicsVirtue ethicsVirtue ethics describes the character of a moral agent as a driving force for ethical behavior, rather than rules , consequentialism , or social context .The difference between these four approaches to morality tends to lie more in the way moral dilemmas are...
- Deontological ethicsDeontological ethicsDeontological ethics or deontology is the normative ethical position that judges the morality of an action based on the action's adherence to a rule or rules. It is sometimes described as "duty" or "obligation" or "rule" -based ethics, because rules "bind you to your duty"...
- ConsequentialismConsequentialismConsequentialism is the class of normative ethical theories holding that the consequences of one's conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgment about the rightness of that conduct...
- Categorical imperativeCategorical imperativeThe Categorical Imperative is the central philosophical concept in the moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant, as well as modern deontological ethics...