1. Martha Nussbaum’s “Non-Relative Virtues: An Aristotelian Approach”
Introduction to Ethical theory, Benjamin Visscher Hole IV
240W8L1

2. Clicker Quiz
Where we are
Transition from Aristotle to Nussbaum
Agenda

3. Clicker Quiz

4. rationalism. empiricism. relativism. absolutism. deontology.
Nussbaum claims that to many current ethical theorists, turning to an ethical approach based on the virtues is connected with a turn toward:
rationalism.
empiricism.
relativism.
absolutism.
deontology.
teleology.
all of the above.
none of the above.

5. to give an analysis of the notion of “goodness.”
According to Nussbaum, the first step in Aristotle’s account of each virtue is:
to isolate a sphere of human experience that is more or less universally shared.
to give an analysis of the notion of “goodness.”
to survey the opinions of previous thinkers on the matter.
to list different possible accounts of that virtue.
all of the above.
none of the above.

6. grounding experiences. a thick description of the virtue. tradition.
Nussbaum claims that for Aristotle the reference of each virtue term is fixed by:
conventional use.
grounding experiences.
a thick description of the virtue.
tradition.
‘endoxa’
all of the above.
none of the above.

7. Dates Required Readings Recommended Readings Week One: June 24-28
Why be moral? Moral Theory Primer
Syllabus
Plato, 65-78
Timmons (electronic)
Shafer-Landau, 1-17
Shafer-Landau,
Concepción (electronic)
Week Two: July 1-5
Social Contract Theory and Collective Action Problems
Hobbes,
Hardin (electronic)
Vaughn, “How to Read an Argument” (electronic)
Shafer-Landau,
Week Three: July 8-12
Utilitarianism
Nozick (electronic)
Bentham,
Shafer-Landau,
Shafer-Landau, 21-58
Week Four: July 15-19
Singer,
Mill,
Shafer-Landau,
Week Five: July 22-26
Kantian Ethics
Kant,
O’Neil (electronic)
Velleman (electronic)
Shafer-Landau,
Week Six: July 29 - August 2
Assessing Utilitarianism & Kantian Ethics
Anscombe,
Williams,
Wolf,
Stocker (electronic)
Baker (electronic)
Week Seven: August 5-8
Virtue Ethics
Aristotle, ;
Shafer-Landau,
Aristotle,
Week Eight: August 12-16
Virtue Ethics & Assessing Ethical Theory
Nussbaum,
Note: Final Paper due August 12
Week Nine: August 19-23
Contemporary Moral Issues: Abortion
Thomson,
Hursthouse,
Review for the final
Note: Final Exam August 23

8. I could use a short extension on my paper.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neutral
Somewhat Disagree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

9. My preferred paper due date:
Monday at 11:59pm (no change)
Tuesday at 11:59pm
Wednesday at 11:59pm
Thursday at 11:59pm
Friday at 11:59pm

10. Main Takeaways from Friday’s lecture
Practical Wisdom (phronesis)
The Practical Syllogism
Practical (Moral) Perception
Top-down and bottom-up methodologies
The Reciprocity of the Virtues

11. Aristotle’s Virtues Virtue Sphere of Life Virtues of feelings
Courage Fear/confidence
Temperance (Bodily) pleasure
Virtues of external goods
Generosity Money
Magnificence
Magnanimity Honor
Proper Pride
Virtues concerned
with social life
Mildness Anger
Truthfulness Truth-telling
Wit Amusements
Friendliness Pleasure in daily life

12. The Reciprocity of the Virtues
Strongly Agree
Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neutral
Somewhat Disagree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

13. Aristotle’s Theory Top-down and bottom-up
As Sarah Broadie puts it, Aristotle simultaneously offers two kinds of answers to “what should I do?” questions: there is a unified, exhaustive answer from the “architectonic perspective,” but there are only particular answers on the “ground level.”
Eudaimonia
The function argument
Excellence in intellectual virtues
Excellence in phronesis
Excellence in the moral virtues
The doctrine of the mean
All of the relevant parameters
Moral particulars; objects of moral perception
Structured by a series of practical syllogisms …

14. Tragic dilemmas Moral Perception Practical Guidance
Moral Residue / Remainder

15. The virtues in moral philosophy
Many recent philosophers have expressed renewed interest in the virtues.
This interest has often been accompanied by a turn to relativism.
(VE) “An action is right if and only if (and because) it is what the virtuous person would not avoid doing in the circumstances under consideration.” (Timmons, 23) 15

16. The Relativism Worry
(ER) “An act (performed by members of group G) is right if and only if the moral norms that are accepted by G permit the performance of the action.”
(Timmons, 32)
(VE) “An action is right if and only if (and because) it is what the virtuous person would not avoid doing in the circumstances under consideration.” (Timmons, 23) 16

17. The Relativism Worry
(CS) “The rightness or wrongness of an action may depend in part on facts about the agent and her circumstances, where her circumstances may include facts about the norms for what counts as constituting insults, a person’s privacy, proper respect for others, and so forth” (Timmons, 33).
(ER) “An act (performed by members of group G) is right if and only if the moral norms that are accepted by G permit the performance of the action.”
(Timmons, 32)
(VE) “An action is right if and only if (and because) it is what the virtuous person would not avoid doing in the circumstances under consideration.” (Timmons, 23) 17

18. The Relativism Worry
“[Any] virtue ethics which is ‘Aristotelian’ as described inevitably aims to stick close to the author’s interpretation of Aristotle, and interpretations of Aristotle, in many of which relevant issues vary.”
We can reject Aristotle’s views, e.g., on women and slavery.
We can also revise the list of virtues.
Hursthouse ON VIRTUE ETHICS, (1999), 9.
(VE) “An action is right if and only if (and because) it is what the virtuous person would not avoid doing in the circumstances under consideration.” (Timmons, 23) 18

19. Martha Nussbaum
(VE) “An action is right if and only if (and because) it is what the virtuous person would not avoid doing in the circumstances under consideration.” (Timmons, 23)

20. An Aristotelian Program
This is Nussbaum’s virtue ethical response to the relativism worry.
A two-stage inquiry
Isolate a sphere of human experience that figures in more or less any human life, in which nearly everyone will have to make some choices about how to act.
Find a correct fuller specification of what it is to act well in that sphere. 20

21. Nussbaum’s Spheres of Virtue
1. Courage
Fear of important damages, esp. death.
2. Moderation
Bodily appetites and their pleasures.
3. Justice
Distribution of limited resources.
4. Generosity
Management of one’s personal property where others are concerned.
5. Expansive hospitality
Management of one’s personal property where hospitality is concerned.
6. Greatness of soul
Attitudes and actions with respect to one’s own worth.
7. Mildness of temper
Attitude to slights and damages
8.a. Truthfulness
8.b. Easy grace (contrasted with coarseness, rudeness, insensitivity)
8.c. Nameless , but a kind of friendliness (contrasted with irritability and grumpiness)
“Association and living together and the fellowship of words and actions.”
Truthfulness in speech
Social association of a playful kind
Social association more generally
9. Proper judgment (contrasted with enviousness, spitefulness, etc.)
Attitude to the good and ill fortune of others.
10. The various intellectual virtues, such as perceptiveness, knowledge, etc.
Intellectual life.
11. Practical Wisdom
The planning of one’s life.

22. The Relativism Worry
Greatness of soul (megalopsuchia) is Aristotle’s virtue concerned with deservedly claiming great external goods, such as honor (ENIV.3).
Medial with respect to the vain person (chaunos) who claims much but deserves little, and the small souled person (mikropsuchos) who claims little but deserves much (EN1123b12-13).
While Aristotle’s specific description is reminiscent of “a certain sort of Greek gentleman,” Nussbaum argues that the account is objective in the “features of humanness that lie beneath all local traditions.” Nussbaum (1993),
Various Criticism
J.O. Urmson : “[it] reveals what must be a view of the ideal gentleman as visualized by Aristotle and, presumably, by many other upper- and middle-class Greeks of the fourth century BC.”
J. Burnet: “parody” of Greek ideals.
W. Hardie accepts and apologizes for Aristotle’s alleged relativism: “His moral ideals are the product of his time and cannot be expected to be adequate in the world of today.”
W.K.C. Guthrie: “a few such characters (there would never be many) might be no bad thing in a city of excitable Greeks.”
Bertrand Russell: “One shudders to think what a vain man [chaunos] would be like.” 22

23. Greatness of soul: “features of humanness that lie beneath all local traditions.”?
Greek megalopsuchia
Christian humility
Sphere: Attitudes and actions with respect to one’s own worth.

24. Strongly Agree Agree Somewhat Agree Neutral Somewhat Disagree Disagree
We can revise Aristotle’s theory and maintain an objective Neo-Aristotelian approach to ethical theory.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neutral
Somewhat Disagree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree