.

General works on Aristotle

General works on Aristotle include Sir David Rosss Aristotle, W. K. C. Guthries section on
Aristotle in his A History of Greek Philosophy (Cambride! Cambride "niversit# $ress%. Works
s&eci'icall# on his ethics include (anc# Shermans The Fabric of Character: Aristotles Theory
of Virtue ()*'ord! Clarendon $ress, +,-,%. /ohn Coo&ers Reason and Human Good in
Aristotle (Cambride! 0arvard "niversit# $ress, +,12%. W. 3. R. 0ardies Aristotles thical
Theory ()*'ord! Clarendon $ress, +,-4%. Richard Kraut5s Aristotle on the Human Good
($rinceton! $rinceton "niversit# $ress, +,-,%. 6roels 7nber8$edersens Aristotles Theory of
!oral "nsi#ht. Sarah 9roadies thics $ith Aristotle ((ew :ork! )*'ord "niversit# $ress, +,,+%.
and /ulia Annas, The !orality of Happiness ((ew :ork! )*'ord "niversit# $ress, +,,;%. 6wo
e*cellent antholoies o' articles on Aristotles ethics are Am<lie Rort#s ssays on Aristotles
thics (9erkele#! "niversit# o' Cali'ornia $ress, +,-4% and 9arnes, Scho'ield, and Sorab=is
Articles on Aristotle: %& thics and Politics ((ew :ork! St. >artins, +,11%. the latter contains an
e*cellent bibliora&h#. )ne o' the most 'ascinatin treatments o' Aristotles ethics is to be 'ound
in $art 6hree o' >artha (ussbaums The Fra#ility of Goodness: 'uck and thics in Greek
Tra#edy and Philosophy (Cambride! 0arvard "niversit# $ress, +,-?%. also see her The
Therapy of (esire: Theory and Practice in Hellenistic thics ($rinceton! $rinceton "niversit#
$ress, +,,@%. 3or a &erce&tive discussion and evaluation o' Aristotles ethics in liht o' current
work in 'eminist ethics, see >arcia 0omiak, A3eminism and Aristotles Rational Bdeal,A in A !ind
of )nes )$n: Feminist ssays on Reason and )b*ecti+ity (9oulder, Colorado! Westview
$ress, +,,;%, &&. +8+-.
Contemporary Virtue Theory
6he contem&orar# resurence o' interest in the virtues beins with $hili&&a 3oots ACirtues and
CicesA in her Virtues and Vices and )ther ssays "n !oral Philosophy (9erkele# and Dos
Aneles! "niversit# o' Cali'ornia $ress, +,1-%, &&. +8+- and Alasdair >acBnt#res After Virtue,
End edition ((otre Dame! "niversit# o' (otre Dame $ress, +,-@%. Several reviews o' the recent
literature are noteworth#! Arthur 3lemins AReviewin the Cirtues,A thics, Col. ,4 (+,-4%, &&.
2-18,2. Greor# $ences ARecent Work on the Cirtues,A American Philosophical ,uarterly, Col.
E+, (o. @ ()ctober, +,-@%, &&. E-+8,1 and his ACirtue 6heor#,A A Companion to thics, edited b#
$eter Siner ()*'ord! 9asil 9lackwell, +,,+%, &&. E@,82-. >arcia 9arons ACarieties o' 7thics o'
Cirtue,A American Philosophical ,uarterly, Col. EE (/anuar#, +,-2%, @182;. Greor# 6rianosk#s
AWhat Bs Cirtue 7thics All AboutFA American Philosophical ,uarterly, Col. E1, (o. @ ()ctober,
+,,4%, &&. ;;28@@. and $hilli& >ontaue, ACirtue 7thics! A Guali'ied Success Stor#,A American
Philosophical ,uarterly, Col. E,, (o. + (/anuar#, +,,E%, &&. 2;8?+. 3or an insiht'ul anal#sis into
historical views o' virtue, see Richard White, A0istorical $ers&ectives on the >oralit# o' Cirtue,A
The -ournal of Value "n.uiry, Col. E2 (+,,+%, &&. E+18;+. Also see the e*cellent bibliora&h# in
The Virtues, edited b# Robert 9. KruschwitH and Robert C. Roberts (9elmont, Cali'ornia!
Wadsworth, +,-1%. )ther collections o' contem&orar# articles on virtues and vices include
Sommers and Sommers, Vice and Virtue in +eryday 'ife, ;
rd
7dition (San Dieo! 0arcourt,
9race and /ovanovich, +,,E%. Col. IBBB o' !id$est /tudies in Philosophy (+,--% on virtue
theor#. the s&ecial double issue on the virtues in Philosophia, Col. E4 (+,,4%. 3lanaan and
Rort#s "dentity0 Character0 and !orality (Cambride! >B6 $ress, +,,4%. 0alberstams Virtues
and Values (7nlewood Cli''s! $rentice80all, +,--%. Virtue, edited b# /ohn W. Cha&man and
William A. Galston ((ew :ork! (ew :ork "niversit# $ress, +,,E% and /ohn Deihs thics and
Personality: ssays in !oral Psycholo#y (Chicao! "niversit# o' Chicao $ress, +,,E%. )n the
more &o&ular 'ront, see William 9ennett, The 1ook of Virtues ((ew :ork! Simon J Schuster,
+,,;%. /oel Ku&&ermans Character ((ew :ork! )*'ord "niversit# $ress, +,,+% &resents a
character8based ethical theor# that &laces the discussion o' &articular virtues and vices within
the conte*t o' the individuals character. 3or a utilitarian a&&roach to virtue, see /ohn Kilcullen,
A"tilitarianism and Cirtue,A thics, Col. ,;, (o. ; (A&ril, +,-;%, &&. @2+8??.
Courage
Aristotles discussion o' courae a&&ears &rimaril# in his 2ichomachean thics, 9ook BBB,
Cha&ters ?8,. David $ears ACourae as a >eanA in Rort#s ssays on Aristotles thics
(9erkele#! "niversit# o' Cali'ornia $ress, +,-4% is an insiht'ul, detailed consideration o'
Aristotles views on this virtue. 'or a critiKue o' $ears5 &osition, see >ichael Stocker5s ACourae,
the Doctrine o' the >ean, and the $ossibilit# o' 7valuative and 7motional CoherenceA in his
Plural and Conflictin# Values ()*'ord! Clarendon $ress, +,,4%, &&. +E,8?@. Doulas Waltons
Coura#e (9erkele#! "niversit# o' Cali'ornia $ress, +,-?% &rovides a standard account o'
courae that 'ocuses on couraeous actions rather than character, while Dee :earle#s !encius
and A.uinas: Theories of Virtue and Conceptions of Coura#e (Alban#! State "niversit# o' (ew
:ork $ress, +,,4% o''ers an interestin cross8cultural com&arison between the thouht o' an
earl# Con'ucian and a medieval Christian. 3or a &rovocative &icture o' courae which also
reconiHes its neative side, see Am<lie Rort#s A6wo 3aces o' CouraeA in her !ind in Action
(9oston! 9eacon $ress, +,--%. Also see Cha&ter 6wo, ACourae,A in /ohn Case#s Pa#an
Virtue ()*'ord! Clarendon $ress, +,,4%. )n ordinar# courae in adolescent irls, see D#n >ikel
9rown and Carol Gillian, !eetin# at the Crossroads: 3omens Psycholo#y and Girls
(e+elopment (Cambride! 0arvard "niversit# $ress, +,,E% and Annie Roers &a&er, A6he
Develo&ment o' Courae in Girls and Women,A Har+ard ducational Re+ie$ (+,,;%. 3or an
account o' Rhonda Cornums e*&eriences as a &risoner o' war, see, /he 3ent to 3ar b#
Rhonda Cornum as told to $eter Co&eland ((ovato, Cali'ornia! $residio $ress, +,,E%. 3or an
insiht'ul discussion o' ender and virtue in Aristotle, see AGendered Cirtue! $lato and Aristotle
on the $olitics o' Cirilit#,A Cha&ter 3our o' Ste&hen G. Salkever5s Findin# the !ean ($rinceton!
$rinceton "niversit# $ress, +,,4%, &&. +?28E4@.
Compassion
6he e*&licitl# &hiloso&hical literature on com&assion is relativel# limited. 6he best &ieces are
Dawrence 9lums ACom&assion,A 4plainin# motions, edited b# A. ). Rort# (9erkele#!
"niversit# o' Cali'ornia $ress, +,-4%, &&. 2418+-. (anc# Snows ACom&assion,A American
Philosophical ,uarterly, Col. E-, (o. ; (/ul#, +,,+%, &&. +,28E42. and Adrian >. S. $i&er,
ABm&artialit#, Com&assion, and >odal Bmaination,A thics, Col. +4+, (o. @ (/ul#, +,,+%, &&. 1E?8
21. also see the section on com&assion in Richard 6a#lors Good and +il ((ew :ork!
>acmillan, +,14%. 3or a &erce&tive and intriuin discussion o' the &lace o' com&assion in
contem&orar# American li'e, see Robert Wuthnows Acts of Compassion ($rinceton! $rinceton
"niversit# $ress, +,,+%. 6he stor# o' the villae o' De Chambon is recounted in $hili& 0allies
'est "nnocent 1lood 1e /hed ((ew :ork! 0ar&er Colo&hon, +,1,% and his articles, ASke&ticism,
(arrative, and 0olocaust 7thics,A Philosophical Forum and his A3rom Cruelt# to Goodness,A
Vice and Virtue in +eryday 'ife, edited b# Christina Sommers and 3red Sommers, ;
rd
edition
(San Dieo! 0arcourt, 9race and /ovanovich, +,,E%.
Self-Love and Self-Respect
6here is an e*tensive literature on the issue o' sel'8love and sel'8res&ect. 3or an insiht'ul
discussion o' Aristotle5s &osition on this issue, see >arcia 0omiak5s ACirtue and Sel'8Dove in
Aristotle5s 7thics,A The Canadian -ournal of Philosophy, Col. ++, (o. @ (December, +,-+%, &&.
?;;82+. )n the relationshi& between sel'8love and 'riendshi& in Aristotle, see es&eciall# Richard
Kraut5s Aristotle on Human Good ($rinceton! $rinceton "niversit# $ress, +,-,%. )ne o' the
most in'luential contem&orar# &hiloso&hical articles on sel'8res&ect is 6homas 0ill5s AServilit#
and Sel'8Res&ect,A re&rinted in his Autonomy and /elf5Respect (Cambride! Cambride
"niversit# $ress, +,,+%. Bnterestin res&onses to 0ill5s article include Darr# 9lum, >arcia
0omiak, /ud# 0ousman, and (aomi Scheman, AAltruism and Women5s )&&ression.A
Philosophical Forum, Col. 2 (+,12%, &&. EEE8@1. Geore Sher, A)ur $re'erences, )urselves.A
and >aril#n 3riedman5s A>oral Bnterit# and the De'erential Wi'e,A Philosophical /tudies, Col.
@1, (o. + (+,-2%, &&. +@+824. )n the relationshi& between sel'8res&ect and race, see >ichelle
>. >ood#8Adams, ARace, Class, and the Social Construction o' Sel'8Res&ect,A Philosophical
Forum, Col. IIBC, (os. +8; (3all8S&rin, +,,E8,;%, &&. E2+8??. 3or a su&erb discussion o' sel'8
interest and related conce&ts that challenes the traditional dichotom# between sel' and other,
see Kell# Roers, A9e#ond Sel' and )ther,A /ocial Philosophy 6 Policy, Col. +@, (o. + (Winter,
+,,1%, &&. +8E4.
ride
3or a brie' but e*cellent overview o' issues about &ride, see Dawrence 9eckers A$ride,A
ncyclopedia of thics, edited b# Dawrence C. 9ecker and Charlotte 9. 9ecker ((ew :ork!
Garland $ublishin, Bnc., +,,E%, Col. BB, &&. +4+;8+2. Also see Gabriele 6a#lor, Pride0 /hame
and Guilt: motions of /elf5Assessment ()*'ord! )*'ord "niversit# $ress, +,-2% and (orvin
Richards, Humility ($hiladel&hia! 6em&le "niversit# $ress, +,,E%.
!iscussion "uestions
+. 0uman 3lourishin. 3or Aristotle, virtues are those strenths o' character that &romote
human 'lourishin. 9ut e*actl# what is human 'lourishinF Address #oursel' to both the
substantive and the e&istemoloical issues that this Kuestion raises. Can #ou ive an#
e*am&les o' someone who is clearl# not 'lourishinF Are there an# di''iculties in
kno$in# whether someone is 'lourishinF Are there man# di''erent leitimate
conce&tions o' human 'lourishinF B' so, how do #ou deal with these di''icultiesF
E. Gender and Cirtue. B have suested that there are t#&icall# some ender di''erences
in our societ# in reard to virtues such as courae and com&assion. 9ased on #our
own e*&erience, do #ou think this is trueF Are there an# other virtues in our societ#
that e*hibit ender di''erencesF Are there an# vices that are valued di''erentl# in men
and womenF Are there reasons wh# virtues and vices should be di''erent 'or women
and 'or menF
;. 6he Cirtue o' 3ortiveness. /oin a discussion o' the issue o' 'oriveness on the World
Wide Web at htt&!LLethics.sandieo.eduLscri&tsLwebI.e*eF2-MM.ee?bE'b. )ne o' the
virtues not discussed in this cha&ter is 'oriveness. 6hink about the &lace o'
'oriveness in a &ersons character. Bs it ever &ossible to be too 'orivinF not 'orivin
enouhF Does not 'orivin sometimes &la# a &ositive role in our livesF 0ow does too
little 'oriveness detract 'rom human 'lourishinF Wh# is it sometimes hard not to
'orive anotherF B' it is &ossible to be too 'orivin, how could this detract 'rom human
'lourishinF Wh# is it sometimes hard to 'oriveF 0ow does 'orivinNand not
'orivinN#oursel' relate to human 'lourishinF 0ow does sel'8'oriveness di''er 'rom
'oriveness o' other &eo&leF 7*&lain.
@. 3lourishin and Continenc#. Aristotle said Acount no man ha&&# until he is dead.A
What does this meanF Bs it trueF Wh# must virtue (and human 'lourishin% wait that
lonF
2. Courae. 6he movies Glory and The Color Purple &resent Kuite di''erent views o'
courae. Com&are these two movies in reard to the relationshi& between courae
and ender. What does such a com&arison suest about this relationshi&F
?. Courae and Ciolence. Bs Gandhi couraeousF B' so, what does that suest about the
relationshi& between courae and violenceF 0ow does this contrast with the &icture o'
the relationshi& between courae and violence in GloryF Bs the willinness to 'iht
necessaril# a sin o' couraeF