Virtue Ethics

Virtue Ethics collects, for the first time, the main classical sources and the central contemporary expressions of virtue ethics approach to normative ethical theory. Edited and introduced by Stephen Darwall, these readings are essential for anyone interested in normative theory. Introduced by Stephen Darwall, this collection brings together classic and contemporary readings which define and advance the literature on virtue ethics. Includes six essays which respond to the classic sources. Includes a contemporary discussion on character and virtue by Gary Watson. Includes classic essays by Aristotle, Francis Hutcheson and David Hume, and recent reactions to this work by philosophers including Philippa Foot, John McDowell, Alasdair MacIntyre, Annette Baier, Rosalind Hursthouse, and Michael Slote.

Acknowledgements vi Introduction 1 Part I Classical Sources 5 1 Aristotle From The Nicomachean Ethics 7 2 Francis Hutcheson From An Inquiry into the Original of Our Idea of Virtue 51 3 David Hume From Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals 63 Part II Contemporary Expressions 103 4 Philippa Foot Virtues and Vices 105 5 John McDowell Virtue and Reason 121 6 Alasdair MacIntyre The Nature of the Virtues 144 7 Annette Baier What Do women Want in a Moral Theory? 168 8 Rosalind Hursthouse Normative Virture Ethics 184 9 Michael Slote Agent-Based Virtue Ethics 203 Part III Contemporary Discussion 227 10 Gary Watson On the Primacy of Character 229 Index 251