"Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words.
Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions.
Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits.
Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character.
Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny."

- Anonymous
 
Defining Virtues
 
The English word "virtue" is derived from the Latin, vir (man, male, masculine). This explains why virtus, the Latin word for virtue, is defined as "manly strength,""manly courage" or "manly excellence." Of course, this is not to say that the term virtue is applied to men alone. Virtue includes both genders, male and female.
 
For good list of the traditional virtues that flourished in ancient Greece and Rome and thereafter, go to :
 
 
Aristotle was the first theorist of virtue ethics or arete which we translate as “excellence.” For him, possessing the moral virtues or moral excellences, such as moderation, is the way that one leads "the good life." Courage, temperance, strength of character, justice and so on are often identified as desirable habits for people to develop and which, when cultivated well, would lead one to the path of excellence – arete.
 
For an in-depth look at Aristotle’s view of virtue theory read the following website by Dr. Charles Ess, Philosophy and Religion Department, Drury University. Go to:
 
http://www.drury.edu/ess/Reason/Aristotle.html
 
A more complete definition of "virtue," therefore, would be that virtue is a disposition, or a capacity, or an attitude by which a person is moved to seek and carry out ethically good or morally good acts. As virtue develops, it becomes a habitual and firm disposition that stands in the face of obstacles even at the cost of sacrifice. To develop virtue can be challenging and painstaking over time. It is not something that we develop once and for all. It must be constantly and consistently worked on to be sustained and developed.
 
 
Find a good definition and historical overview of virtue theory in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy at:
 
http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/v/virtue.htm
 
Using Virtues
 
The lead virtue questions in a VCR analysis are:
   
What virtues should be exemplified by the main professionals in the issue, problem, or dilemma?
  
 
What is the most excellent course of action that can be taken by them in the situation?
   
This second step in the VCR analytic framework for ethical decision-making is the application of virtue ethics. What is emphasized here is a set of desirable character traits, or excellences, and our actions are gauged according to whether certain virtues that make out a good character are promoted by our actions or not.
 
Some ethicists who hold the virtue theory claim that a person's character functions dispositionally in such a way that people engage in ethical or unethical conduct thanks to the character traits that they have developed in their lives. A good character will dispose one to virtuous acts, while a morally deficient character will dispose one to unethical acts.
 
While virtue ethics normally refers to the way individual people behave, it can also be used in an analysis of a professional ethical issue, problem or dilemma. We can ask if a profession or a professional has acted in such a way as to promote a particular virtue or not. We can also ask if resolving a professional moral maze in a certain way will result in a judgment of being virtuous. Thus, if we keep in mind what would count as virtuous acts in the professions, then we can make judgments about the ethics of professionals. We can ask if the conduct of professionals promoted excellence in their profession or not.
 
 
Exercise:
 
Should virtues be taught in public schools? In the country that you are from, do the public schools already include the teaching of virtues to children? Should such virtues as moderation, justice or strength of character be taught in these
public schools? Why or why not? Are their other virtues that you would recommend be taught? Why are these good candidates?
 
More on Virtues
 
Here are some other websites for you to explore that deal with this second aspect of the VCR approach to ethics:
   
Read a book review of Ethics and Excellence by Robert Solomon which advocates the use of virtue ethics in business:
 
http://web.sau.edu/RichardsRandyL/business_ethics_filing_cabinet_ethics_and_excellence_beck_dudley.htm
 
Listen to a Real Audio interview with Matt Ridley on "The Origins of Virtue." The program is a segment of "Ideas and Issues" from WETS-FM at East Tennessee State University. Hugh LaFollette conducts the interview. Ridley is a biologist interested in the evolutionary sources for virtue, in particular the virtue of cooperation.
 
http://www.hughlafollette.com/radio/ridley.htm