Aristotle's Virtue Ethics

Aristotle takes a 'teleological' approach to morality - he looks at the purpose and aims for humans.
All humans aim at happiness. We all want to achieve 'Eudaimonia' - a flourishing life.
Acting morally is part of a happy life and to flourish, all parts of our soul must be excellent.
The best life in one where we fufil our natural capacities.
To have excellence in the rational part of the soul you could develop the mind through philsophy.
Having excellence in the appetative part of the soul is to have excellent desires and emotions. Excellent desires is to have moral virtues.
Doctrine of the mean - a moral virtue lies between two vices. The moral virue of courage lies bewteen its deficiency of cowardice and its excess of rashness.
We develop moral virtues through upbringing and habituation. Through perfoming kind acts, we develop the virtue of kindness. It is similar to learning a skill or instrument.
We are not born virtuous or non- virtuous, but we are born with the capacity to become either of…

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