Day 16: Virtue, Choice, and Responsibility

•     Virtue in General

•     Virtue and Pleasure

•     Virtue and Motivation

•     Examples of Virtue

•     Voluntariness

•     Choice and Responsibility

•     Read NE, books VI and X for next time

Virtue in General

•     Brainstorm “virtue”

•     What are the two different classifications of virtue Aristotle identifies?

•     How does he characterize them?

•     What does virtue aim at?

•     What is it called when we have “too much of a virtue” or too little?

Virtue and Pleasure

•      According to Aristotle, should we take pleasure in doing virtuous acts?

•      What if we can’t take pleasure in doing something virtuous?

•      What leads us away from virtue?

Virtue and Motivation

•      According to Aristotle, under what conditions should an act be done if it is to count as virtuous? It must

    – (1) be done with knowledge,

    – (2) be (freely) chosen, and chosen for its own sake

    – (3) proceed from a firm and unchangeable character

Examples of Virtue

•      According to Aristotle, what are some examples of virtue?

•      What would we say of someone who exemplifies virtuous conduct?

Voluntariness

•      According to Aristotle, what is it for an act to be voluntary?  What is it for an act to be involuntary?

•      Is voluntariness the same thing as choice?

Choice and Responsibility

•      What is choice?

          – rational voluntariness

          – deliberate or deliberated voluntariness about the means

          – deliberate desire pertaining to options within our power

          – the outcome of rational deliberation

•      Why does Aristotle say we can deliberate about and choose the means, but not the ends, of actions?

•      What is the relationship between choice and responsibility?  What motivates this?