The combination of such qualities as generosity, kindness, honesty, courage, modesty, and hospitality in one person is scarce. However, when this happens, the carrier of all these traits is called virtuous, a hero, or a saint (MacKinnon & Fiala, 2017). Such people become role models, inspiring society to develop positive personality characteristics. Aristotle considered the concept of virtue in his ethical theory. The philosopher attached particular importance to the moral ethics of the individual’s personality traits, rather than social duties and rules. However, Aristotle, like other thinkers, emphasized that virtues “need to be nurtured and require time” (Grimi, 2019, p. ix). In this way, the theory differs from other ethical views in several ways discussed by scholars.
In the article “Teaching the Virtue,” Cristina Hoff Sommers (1993) criticizes how virtue is being taught in American colleges. She argues that “social morality is only half of the moral life; the other half is private morality” (Sommers, 1993, p. 3). However, there is a big focus on discussing social policy with college students. Teachers do not emphasize such topics as “private decency, honesty, personal responsibility, or honor” (Sommers, 1993, p. 3). Thus, according to Sommers (1993), the main problem today is the lack of personal morality education. Therefore, from the perspective of content, she proposes introducing students to the works of philosophers on the theory of virtue, including Aristotle’s ethics. Sommers notes that many find the idea of discussing the development of virtuous traits appealing. Sommers finds it necessary to study philosophical ideas in schools, suggesting teachers reject the system when a student comprehends moral values himself. Instead, there should be a direct explanation, stories of goodness, and the cultivation of ideas of “civility, kindness, self-discipline, and honesty” (Sommers, 1993, p. 11). Thus, in terms of scope, teaching children about moral heritage through literature and history should be ubiquitous in schools and colleges.
In her lectures on Aristotle’s virtue ethics, Professor Tamar Gendler describes two kinds of laws ruling the people’s lives. The first type is normative law, which expresses judgments about the way entities should be. The second one is descriptive law, which, on the other hand, describes what entities are. Thus, a habit is a tool for transforming normative law into a descriptive one. Gendler says that Aristotle’s basic insight is that “if you want to become something, act as if that is what you already were” (YaleCourses, 2012, 7:10-7:23). Behavior initially under conscious control can be automatized through the constant repetition of the same action. Therefore, once a person becomes habitual to a certain behavior, a normative rule transforms into a descriptive one. Thus, the development of virtue, from the point of view of Aristotle, requires repeating virtuous actions.
The view of virtuous behavior development described by Tamar Gendler may be considered human programming. Nevertheless, a person should choose to start cultivating a habit. It was noticed that turning normative law into a descriptive one requires repeating actions, which takes some effort. Therefore, such a view seems to be a combination of personal choice, in the first place, and conscious human programming. This approach corresponds with Sommers’s idea in the way that it is necessary to introduce students to the possibility of studying virtue. Once they can develop their morality through virtuous acts, it would be easier to form a habit at a young age.
In Sommers’s article, the need to study classical philosophical texts in colleges is convincing because that can help form awareness of the concept of virtue among children. However, her proposal to exclude the teaching through the actions of the students themselves is questionable as they would lack experience and the ability to analyze their behavior through the lens of morality. Thus, Gendler’s lecture is an overview, while the article analyzes the problem and ways to solve it. However, both materials explore the importance of a habit in forming personal morality and developing virtuous qualities.
References
Grimi, E. (2019). Introduction. In Virtue ethics: Retrospect and prospect (pp. 1-16). Springer.
MacKinnon, B., & Fiala, A. (2017). Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues. Cengage Learning.
Sommers, S. H. (1993). Teaching the virtue. Public Interest, 111, 3-13. Web.
YaleCourses. (2012). 9. Virtue and Habit I [Video]. YouTube. Web.