Virtue Ethics June 2011 by SO

Below is an answer written in the summer exam which gained full marks 35/35.  This answer was written by my most improved  studnet who only managed C in the AS exam (despite retaking). The examiner’s report for this question is appended below.

Exam Question: To what extent is Virtue Ethics helpful when making decisions about extra-marital sex?

Virtue ethics is a theory developed by Aristotle about becoming virtuous and the best character we can be. With the issue of extra marital sex, it is helpful as it lets you become the character you want to become, as you follow your heroes, which may lead you in the wrong direction, however, there are many other ways of looking at virtue ethics. Personally, I think natural law is a better way of looking at extra marital sex as it is a clear and coherent theory which is simple to apply.

Firstly with virtue ethics, you try to follow a set of virtues. This is where making decisions about extramarital sex could be useful. Aristotle had a set of virtues that contained ones such as courage, virtuous, temperance, these are not helpful applying to extra marital sex. However, Aquinas added to these virtues with Theological virtues, Love, hope and faith, these help to apply to extra marital sex as you should not cheat as you love them, and you made a sacred bond in front of God that you have to keep, and disobeying the bond means you are disobeying God and going against your faith, another one of Aquinas’s theological virtues. So therefore virtue ethics is helpful when deciding with extra marital sex if you use Aquinas’s virtues as well as Aristotle’s.

However, virtue ethics can be unhelpful too. For one of the principles of Aristotle’s virtue ethics is that you should follow your heroes. Therefore this is not helpful since when it comes to virtue ethics if your hero is having extra marital sex, this is doing non-virtuous activities and therefore this is wrong. This is one of virtue ethics’ biggest downfalls, flowing the wrong hero, this is where virtue ethics is unhelpful to extra marital sex as following your hero could lead you to it. Many would agree that you don’t have to do everything that your hero does, but isn’t that the point of heroes, you want to be them and look up to everything they do. Therefore I still hold my view that virtue ethics is unhelpful when it comes to extra-marital sex as it can lead you into wrongdoings.

In comparison, on another level virtue ethics can be helpful as virtue ethics is based on character, and developing into characters that can flourish and reach eudemonia. For extra marital sex would lead us into characteristics that we don’t want to be, as unfaithfulness is a bad virtue, so therefore we would not develop into the character that we want to be, and would not reach eudemonia, or even flourish for that matter. In this view, virtue ethics is helpful if you apply it in the correct way as you want to reach eudemonia and to flourish, therefore you choose the right virtues to do this, so you can become an ethically right character that can flourish and reach eudemonia. On the other hand how do you choose the right virtues, couldn’t the right virtues lead you into bad consequences. For example confidence – this could lead to extra marital se as you are confident that you have can have it and get away with it therefore develop into the wrong character, it is easy to slip into the dependencies of all your virtues. I still hold by view that virtue ethics is unhelpful when it comes to extra marital sex.

Although, with virtue ethics, you use the golden mean to find the right point with your virtues. Therefore, extra marital sex is a deficiency of staying loyal and therefore shouldn’t be developed into a character like that. Many people may think that are achieving appropriate characters with virtue ethics, therefore that is why virtue ethics is unhelpful when it comes to extra marital sex as they can develop into characters which may seem right, but there are not, and with virtue ethics it is easy to slip up and not follow what is ethically right, unlike natural law which is clear and logical and coherent when it comes to extra marital sex.

Natural Law theory is a good theory to apply to extra marital sex as you apply it to the primary precepts. Extra marital sex goes against an ordered society because if everyone had extra marital sex the society would become corrupt and destroyed as no-one would be able to trust each other, and marriages would fall apart, causing a disordered society and therefore a secondary precept would evolve to “do not commit extra marital sex.” Moreover, it also goes against worshiping God and reproduction, God said that you should only ‘he be’ with our wife, and it is breaking the bond as you should not cheat in marriage according to Christianity, you have made a bond with them in front of God and have to keep that, therefore a secondary precept of do not have extra marital sex would develop. Finally it would go against reproduction as you should not use contraception in Natural law theory, as it goes against the primary precept of reproduction causing many unwanted babies, so you should apply the secondary precept of ‘do not abort.’ Therefore extra marital sex is always wrong. For natural law, having extra marital sex could only be explained as following an ‘apparent good’ but how could extra marital sex ever be following an apparent good. Therefore I held my opinion that natural law is more helpful when making decisions about extra marital sex than virtue ethics.

In conclusion, I still hold my view that natural law is a better approach. However, Kant shared a view that is what should be in a marriage, and dealing with extra marital sex. This is that, when two people are married they give each other ‘rights’ or have ‘wills’ over each other, therefore they cannot have sex with anyone else, and it is our duty to stay loyal. Therefore, Kant is also more helpful then virtue ethics.