Moral theory: virtue ethics

Virtue ethics asks not 'what should I do?' but 'what kind of person should I become?'

• its origins in Aristotle — the virtues as a mean between extremes, aimed at eudaimonia (flourishing);
• its modern development in the work of Anscombe, Foot, MacIntyre and Hauerwas; and
• the challenge of ethical relativism and the Christian response.

G. E. M. Anscombe's 1958 essay is often credited with reviving virtue ethics in the twentieth century.

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Free will and determinism

Moral responsibility depends on whether we are free:

• Free will — its nature, and compatibilist vs incompatibilist views;
• Determinism — the principle of causality, hard and soft determinism, internal and external causation; and
• the influence of psychology, environment and genetics on moral choices.

Candidates evaluate the implications for moral responsibility and the Christian response.

Global rights

The nature of human rights is contested:

• Christian and secular perspectives;
• the contribution of Hobbes, Locke and Paine, and the sceptical views of Bentham;
• the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR);
• cultural and religious critiques; and
• the issue of animal rights.

Bentham famously dismissed natural rights as 'nonsense upon stilts', while Locke grounded rights in life, liberty and property.

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Sexual identity and gender justice

The specification treats several rights issues, to be studied across a spectrum of religious and secular perspectives:

• same-sex relationships, and rights around marriage and parenthood;
• the rights of women;
• birth control and contraception; and
• violations of rights, including female genital cutting and honour killings, and feminist responses.

These are sensitive topics; the exam expects balanced, well-evidenced evaluation of a range of views.

Which strand of moral theory?

Tap a term, then tap the group it belongs to.

Global issues: war and peace

Contemporary warfare raises major ethical questions. The Just War tradition distinguishes:

• Jus ad Bellum — the right to go to war;
• Jus in Bello — right conduct within war; and
• Jus post Bellum — justice after war.

Candidates also weigh non-combatant immunity, the challenge of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and pacifism.

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Justice, law and punishment

The specification lists the aims of punishment: protection, retribution, rehabilitation, deterrence and vindication. Candidates study:

• religious perspectives, including biblical and various Christian views;
• ethical perspectives from natural moral law, utilitarianism and virtue ethics;
• the issue of capital punishment and diminished responsibility; and
• the role of compassion and mercy.

Thinker and contribution

Match each thinker or idea to its contribution.

Synoptic theme: Conscience, Freedom and Tolerance

The A2 synoptic assessment theme draws the unit together:

• the nature and role of conscience, religious and secular views, and the notion of moral duty;
• the role of the state — protecting the common good and personal liberty, and prisoners of conscience; and
• the capacity for religion to promote both tolerant and intolerant attitudes.

Like all synoptic themes, this connects with at least one other unit you study.

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The big ideas to know

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