On Virtue Ethics

Front Cover
OUP Oxford, Dec 16, 1999 - Philosophy - 286 pages
Virtue ethics is perhaps the most important development within late twentieth-century moral philosophy. Rosalind Hursthouse, who has made notable contributions to this development, now presents a full exposition and defence of her neo-Aristotelian version of virtue ethics. She shows how virtue ethics can provide guidance for action, illuminate moral dilemmas, and bring out the moral significance of the emotions. Deliberately avoiding a combative stance, she finds less disagreement between Kantian and neo-Aristotelian approaches than is usual, and she offers the first account from a virtue ethics perspective of acting 'from a sense of duty'. She considers the question which character traits are virtues, and explores how answers to this question can be justified by appeal to facts about human nature. Written in a clear, engaging style which makes it accessible to non-specialists, On Virtue Ethics will appeal to anyone with an interest in moral philosophy.
 

Contents

Introduction
5
The Virtues Benefit their Possessor
163
Naturalism
192
Naturalism for Rational Animals
217
Objectivity
239
Bibliography
267
Index
273
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About the author (1999)

Rosalind Hursthouse is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the Open University.

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