On McDowell’s Virtue Ethics

• Main Authors: Chou, Pei-Yu, 周佩怡
• Other Authors: 吳瑞媛
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/09504990798917728212

碩士 === 國立清華大學 === 哲學研究所 === 102 === Virtue Ethics claims that an action is right if and only if this is what a virtuous person would do under the circumstances. Why does the virtuous person always do the right action? The virtuous person always does the right action because he gets things right. My thesis adopts the point of John McDowell to characterize the unique perception of virtuous person. McDowell defines Virtue as Knowledge; that is to say, a perceptual capacity to recognize requirement that situations impose on one’s behavior. Although moral knowledge of virtuous person cannot be codified as a principle, virtuous person recognizes the reason for action and makes right and reliable judgments through the interaction between knowledge of how to live and particular knowledge of individual situations. Virtuous person does the right action, not because doing this action fulfills his desires or benefits, but he equips the second nature through which he can recognize moral reasons and obey the requirements of virtue to do the right thing. Since the moral knowledge cannot be codified, other theories such as Normative Ethics, consequentialism and deontology criticize that Virtue Ethics cannot provide the action guide. I will explain how Virtue Ethics provides action guide in the thesis. At the last part of the thesis, I would point out the feature of Virtue Ethics: doing the right action cannot be a purely rational exercise or rule following; doing the right action must involve aspects of human nature of agent’s character, emotions, habits, outlook on life, etc.