There are many ways to approach morality, virtue ethics being where Aristotle assessed how moral dilemmas are achieved rather than just outcomes. Ethical navigation approaches recognize that humans are complicated beings and that our existence and purpose are not truly known or provided for us. It is up to us to determine for ourselves how to value our life and its purpose and what our responsibilities are, in order to live an ethical life. Aristotle found that his theory in dealing with this dilemma is based on virtue ethics where virtue is a state of being and when we possess the right virtues we are able to live well and successfully. We are all trying to find our own way to navigate through life and discover the importance of what lies at the end. Happiness, or living well, is the ultimate goal because most of us can agree that conceptions of happiness organize our various paths. We must first understand that happiness is the action of living well, and without virtue we are unable to achieve happiness. «If an action is well done when it is done according to its own excellence: if this is the case, human good turns out to be an activity of the soul according to virtue, and if there are more virtues, according to the best and most complete» ( Aristotle, Book I, Chapter 7). My interpretation of this is that it is in our nature to possess these virtues that allow us to act in the right way. These virtues are not necessarily actions in themselves but lead us to activities that are good for ourselves and others. Our activities arise from our rationality, which is why the idea of a happy person implies that they are virtuous and r... middle of paper... what is appropriate and reasonable. Moral character defines a person with respect to their actions. Character influences how we live our lives ethically: “When we speak of a man's character we do not say that he is wise or has understanding, but that he is good-natured or temperate; yet we praise the sage also regarding his state of mind; and of states of mind we call virtue those which deserve praise" (Aristotle, Book I, chapter 13). Temperance, courage and wisdom are just a few virtuous character traits. Without virtue I believe that character would be bitter and cold (…) Aristotle emphasizes education, as well as education influencing moral character. We can apply intellectual virtues with character because being intellectually curious in areas such as education, we should use this resource to refine our character.
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