Virtue ethics explains moral behavior only descriptively, leaving a mechanistic gap
Evidence
Some conceptions of morality are based on virtue ethics (Hursthouse, 2012). This approach focuses on the character of the person rather than on moral principles. The virtues that are embodied in the character may include fairness, honesty, integrity, loyalty, generosity, and the like. In virtue ethics, one’s character is deeply ingrained in a generalized disposition. Hence, in this view, individuals of virtuous character adhere to moral conduct in varying circumstances. In virtue ethics, good behavior naturally follows from moral virtues. If only it were that simple. Attribution of causation to moral character is more descriptive than explanatory. Virtue ethicists must explain the mechanisms by which what one is motivates and regulates what one does. That is an explanatory gap that needs to be filled. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 201
Categorization
Category: Definitional Content
- DEFINE: Defines virtue ethics as character-based rather than principle-based and identifies its central explanatory gap.
Related
- Virtue ethics describes moral character but fails to explain how character drives conduct (similarity 0.97)
- Virtuous character does not yield consistent moral behavior across situations (similarity 0.87)
- Virtue theory resists empirical testing and risks causal circularity (similarity 0.83)
- Duty-based moral theories neglect the mechanisms translating principles into conduct (similarity 0.81)