»Virtue ethics seeks to define ‘good’ character and how it can be improved. It does not judge acts or consequences, and is therefore neither deontological or teleological »Any virtue lies between a vice of excess and vice of deficiency »Aristotle maintained existence of main and subordinate aims. E.g. » Work > Earn Money > Live Well »Ultimately, everything is directed to the ‘supreme happiness’ or ‘end good’ »Example: (Aristotle) »Courage = Virtue »Cowardice = Vice of Deficiency »Rashness = Vice of Excess »Therefore: A ‘virtuous’ person is one who habitually chooses to act in accordance with the golden mean, aiming to achieve the ‘end good’

»NT ethics: For Christians, to be morally good is to follow example of Jesus »‘Agape’ is a central concept and demonstrated by Christ: “Love your enemy”, “Turn the other cheek”are good examples of unconditional love »Sermon on the Mount is a main source of Jesus’ teachings – gives guidance on many issues such as murder, divorce, and general moral behaviour »Jesus’ approach to ethics in many was not legalistic, despite him emphasising the importance of the law »Jesus presented concepts such as law and duty in a different way. ‘The Sabbath is for the good of the people/the people are not for the good of the Sabbath’ – In this way laws are given a new purpose, and intended to be in the interests of people

»The NT promotes characteristics recognised by Virtue Ethics as ‘Golden Means’ – e.g. to act justly, compassionately, courageously – avoiding associated vices. »Jesus is a key example of a virtuous character »Arguably, there are also main and subordinate aims in the NT. We may observe NT scripture not for its own sake, but for some other end. E.g. salvation »Virtue Ethics does not rely on God to function. Virtues are therefore defined by man, not inspired by God »The NT is based on the OT: Its ethics depend upon the interpretation and fulfilment of absolutes found in the OT. (Virtue ethics has no such basis) »…Therefore; a key difference is that NT ethics, despite not being entirely legalistic, rely on the example of the law (or ‘the word’) to show an ideal. Virtue ethics though seek to define and improve character in order to reach an end good. (Virtues however are subjective to context)

Agree: Ultimately the New Testament’s ethics only work in conjunction with a belief in Jesus. Virtue ethics, whilst sharing many similarities with Jesus’ approach, does not have any ‘legal’ basis or absolutes (as the New Testament does). In this way, the New Testament can be seen as a more authoritative approach, as its ethical standards are seen as inspired by God. Therefore Virtue Ethics can have no basis in the New Testament, as the theory provides no real basis for judgement.

Disagree: In many ways virtue ethics is very similar to New Testament ethics. It places less emphasis on acts & consequences and focuses on an individual’s character. In terms of their goals, both the NT ethics and virtue ethics seem very similar: The purpose of exercising virtues therefore is ultimately for the end good of the individual and society. (Either as the ‘End Good’ in Virtue Ethics, or the ‘Kingdom of God’, as in the New Testament).