CATEGORY

Philosophers have increasingly advocated a virtue-based ethics that challenges traditional moral theories founded on moral obligation and delineation of right or wrong in given situations. Stan van Hooft provides a broad overview of the history of virtue ethics from Aristotle to Nietzsche to the ideas of contemporary writers Ricoeur and Levinas. He explores the major themes of moral theory and shows how a virtue ethics approach differs from those of other traditions. Van Hooft considers how morally complex practical problems, such as abortion, euthanasia, and integrity in politics, might be approached from a virtue perspective and addresses the charges of relativism and egoism that are often mounted against virtue ethics, arguing that virtue ethics is highly relevant to our understanding of the moral dimensions of professional roles.