Kant vs. Virtue Ethics Essay - 841 Words

When we talk about whether or not a person is ethically right, we can look at the actions that he or she may partake in. These actions maybe studied in different situations such as the one that we were told to evaluate. While leaving the grocery store, one witnesses an old man struggling with his oxygen tank. Without thinking, you lift the tank and help the elderly man. This action is a kind gesture, but would we consider this a moral act? One could analyze this situation with two different ethical theories, by Kantian and/or Aristotelian views. The approach that we take with Kants views is strictly based on reason. The key factor in this situation with Kant would ask if we did this action without any thought. Because Kant heavily†¦show more content†¦(This is not saying whether or not the action was moral or not.) On the other hand, Aristotle would take a different approach. Aristotle believed in virtue ethics. This type of theory bases all on moderation. It also asks the q uestion of what makes a person moral, instead of what acts are moral. Reason is directly correlated with a virtue that we have become accustom to. When evaluating this situation, we have to ask, What is a virtue? Virtues are traits of a persons character that are habitual actions that are good for that particular person to possess. We also need to know character traits of the virtue. These character traits consist of things like being nice to each other, sharing your possessions with those less fortunate, caring for people, etc. With this incident we know that you are showing compassion, thoughtfulness, friendliness, etc by helping this elderly man. By having these qualities you did not have to think about what you were doing and you assisted the man because of you possessed these virtues. So in this situation, Aristotle would say that it was a moral act. You are a virtuous person that is why you did the action. It was habitual and the reason you did it was because it was directly c orrelated to the virtues you possessed. Aristotle and Kants views were extremely different. Aristotle believed that it was a moral action and Kant believed it wasnt. 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