Virtues and Vices

Abstract

Abstract Moral philosophy used to be primarily concerned, not with particular acts, but with those traits of character that were virtues and vices. Hobbes says “the science of virtue and vice, is moral philosophy.”1 However I have defined morality without even mentioning virtue or vice. Nonetheless, I realize that no account of morality is complete without an account of virtue and vice. Moreover, as a practical matter, children should be taught morality by means of the moral virtues. It is only in theoretical contexts that the moral and personal virtues are derived from more basic concepts, although this theoretical understanding is helpful in teaching the virtues. The basic concepts, especially that of rationality, discussed in previous chapters shall be used to provide accounts of both moral and personal virtue and also to explain the distinction between them. Failure to make this distinction is another explanation for the false philosophical view that morality is primarily a general guide for an individual seeking the best life. I shall also provide accounts of particular virtues and vices, both moral and personal.