Character, Virtue Theories, and the Vices

Character, Virtue Theories, and the Vices
ISBN-10
1551112256
ISBN-13
9781551112251
Category
Philosophy
Pages
272
Language
English
Published
1999-08-26
Publisher
Broadview Press
Author
Christine McKinnon

Description

This book argues that the question posed by virtue theories, namely, “what kind of person should I be?” provides a more promising approach to moral questions than do either deontological or consequentialist moral theories where the concern is with what actions are morally required or permissible. It does so both by arguing that there are firmer theoretical foundations for virtue theories, and by persuasively suggesting the superiority of virtue theories over deontological and consquentialist theories on the question of explaining morally bad behavior. Virtue theories can give a richer account by appealing to the kinds of dispositions that make certain bad choices appear attractive. This richer account also exposes a further advantage of virtue theories: they provide the best kinds of motivations for agents to become better persons.

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