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Many people say the key to living well and being happy in life is to be
generous in doing good deeds. This goes hand in hand with being a virtuous person.
virtue ethics. On the other hand, situational ethics involves surrounding influences
action. It is the classic case of nature versus nurture. Although the argument for
On the topic of virtue ethics, writer Rosalind Hursthouse asserts that virtue
goes deep within the character of a person. She claims that dispositions are
enmeshed in yet other traits and dispositions (qtd. in Appiah 401). Hursthouse
shares with us the example of an honest person who seeks honesty throughout all
areas of her life. In like manner, that individual would despise actions of dishonesty
whenever she sees them. Virtue ethicists claim that in order to have a life worth
living, one should exhibit virtues. Another aspect to this character is shunning vices
ethics.
philosopher and seasoned writer Kwame Anthony Appiah points out in The Case
given situation, also known as situational ethics. Varying from person to person,
these minor changes can make a kind individual behave the opposite, and can also
elicit generous actions from someone who isnt generous. Because of seemingly
Today we are so busy that we dont take the time to analyze the reasons
behind our behaviors. When and if we do, we mistakenly assume that we did a good
deed in order to help someone simply because they needed help. In reality, we fail
to notice how deeply influenced we are by outside details that determine our
behavior one way or another. Additionally, when a stranger does something nice for
us, we are quick to attribute it to him or her being a nice person. When the situation
is analyzed we might find that person received positive news - a job promotion - just
before they encountered us. Subconsciously, theyre more willing to respond to our
need for help because they have been positively affected by that news. However, had
that person just found out they were going to be laid off, they most likely would
never have offered any assistance in the first place. People are unaware of
situational changes and they ignore the role of context (Appiah 406). It is human
tendency for us to believe that behaviors alone represent the true character of a
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person, whether or not this is accurate. Its important to recognize this because it
A series of social experiments have been conducted that prove people behave
differently when minor situational variables are introduced. For instance, in the
papers outside of a telephone booth at the same time as someone was exiting. If
they had just found a dime inside the phone booth, that person was more likely to
lend a helping hand to the one who dropped their papers than those who did not
find a dime in the coin slot (Appiah 405). Unaware that the minor occurrence of
finding change in the coin slot has affected them, their behavior was altered. Of
course, this isnt to say that people only respond positively if something good
people will still respond kindly. In any case, we find that such social experiments
give us insight into what can motivate people to respond a certain way.
Situational ethics can have serious implications in our life because it affects
our behavior in major ways, too. For example, consider a scenario in which a man
loses his job through no fault of his own and is forced to apply for government aid in
the form of unemployment compensation. Unable to find a job in his usual field, he
decides to pursue a certificate or degree in another field that will qualify him for a
well-paying job that will enable him to support his family. Since his family was
recently a double-income household, he doesnt qualify for financial aid for his
schooling. He knows he must rely solely on government aid and the humble salary
his wife brings in. But, he finds out that unfortunately, the government will
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open to full-time work. What will he do? Virtue ethics assumes that if he is honest,
he will report his intentions to the government despite the financial position it will
leave his family in. On the contrary, according to situation ethics, the man is much
less likely to be honest in reporting a change in schedule because his entire family
depends on every penny they can get. Perhaps the more thats at stake, the more
willing a person is to alter their character to commit an act that is not virtuous.
Virtue ethics suggests that virtue goes deep within the character of a person
and leads to a life worth living. Virtuous acts do indeed improve lives, but what
about the intention behind such acts? Of course, a truly kind intention leading to a
kind act is praiseworthy, but are such actions any less credible if theyre done
from fifty people, but the fact remains that regardless of intent, the virtuous action
improved both persons experience. While virtue ethics sounds appealing if we are
talking about an honest person, what does it mean for an individual who is
unchanged in our character that we lack control over our choices to act, as if our
404). Life is full of many variables and as humans we are emotional reactors. Virtue
ethics simply does not leave enough room for the variation of choice in our
encounters.
personality. It also allows us to prove the kind of person we are by giving us the
opportunity to be responsible for our behaviors. In the same way, it succeeds over
virtue ethics because if we were to assume that someones responses are pre-
determined by their innate character, it would be very easy to use this as an excuse
can be more aware of analyzing behavior within a scenario. It would help us to align
our expectations of others more realistically, and likewise we could strive to achieve
kinder responses out of ourselves, making our world a better place to live in little by
little.
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Works Cited
Essential Readings for College Writers. 9th edition. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. Boston: