On Some Vices of Virtue Ethics

Abstract

IN THIS ESSAY I SKETCH SOME VICES OF VIRTUE ETHICS, DRAW ON INFERENCE ABOUT THE PHILOSOPHICAL SOURCE OF THE VICES, AND CONCLUDE WITH A RECOMMENDATION CONCERNING FUTURE EFFORTS IN MORAL THEORY CONSTRUCTION. THE SOURCE OF THE VICES, I ARGUE, LIES IN A MONONOMIC OR SINGLE-PRINCIPLE STRATEGY WITHIN NORMATIVE THEORY CONSTRUCTION, A REDUCTIONIST CONCEPTUAL SCHEME WHICH DISTORTS CERTAIN INTEGRAL ASPECTS OF OUR MORAL EXPERIENCE. MY RECOMMENDATION IS THAT THIS STRATEGY BE ABANDONED, FOR THE MORAL FIELD IS NOT UNITARY--MONONOMIC METHODS ARE NOT THE BEST TOOLS FOR MORAL THEORISTS.