8 Chapter the happiness hypothesis
1. Relationship between virtue and happiness
a. Virtues are qualities that make that person a good person or admirable person.
(PLATO)
a.i. Ex: knifethe virtue that make it a good knife/ functional knife
a.i.1.
Include sharpness & easy to handle without cutting yourself
a.ii. Qualities and functions that allow the item into question to work properly
b. Virtues of a human being is to fulfill the functions of human beings to lead
b.i. Human function: identified by a fulerashing life.life you were suppose
to leave
b.ii. Included: wisdom, courage, temperance, justice, patience
b.iii. Based on Plato & Aristotle theories (ancient greek)
b.iii.1.
Emphasis the different parts of the human soul
b.iii.1.a. The reasoning vs. good & bad emotional parts of
the soul
b.iii.1.b. When these operate the right way you will act
appropriately but didnt focus on what actions were right or
wrong but mainly on the virtues themselves
characteristics
b.iii.2.
May be as a result of the greek focus of math & science
b.iii.3.
Related to the project of becoming a better person
2. Is ethical theory purely theoretical or does it actually attributes to our actions?
a. Thought that the virtues were necessary & by acting with the virtues it is essential
to experiencing happiness
3. Theory vs. Practice
a. The modern philosophers have Kant & Benethium far different from Greek
philosopher
b. Kantunified theory
b.i. Morality principle: Categorical imperative 162
b.i.1.
nature follows rules rules of conduct. Lions can be
judge morality
b.ii. Moral rules have to be universally applicable
b.iii. Moral laws dont just apply to human beings also angels and martains
those with reasoning
b.iii.1.
Act on a general rule Rules guiding your actions can be
purposed to be universally known as a law.
b.iii.2.
Every decision is as if you are a legistlator to be judging
them
b.iv. Ex: a deceitful promise without any intention of keeping your promise
b.iv.1.
Purposed by a law that can be followed by everyone
b.v. Act on a maxim action that can be willed into law
c. Benthum:
c.i. Right action is the one that promotes the highest happiness
c.ii. Was once interested in the law
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d. Both theories focus on the acts and not trying to enforce a practice but instead a
move for a more theoretical approach to ethics focused on acts rather than virtue
in a practice to improve you life
Ethics:
a. Morality of what we owe one another
a.i. Consideration that is necessary to promote ones life
b. Interpersonal or social considerations how to act towards other people
b.i. Shared by Kant and Benthum
c. Other view: ethics on the best way to life
A shift in focus from the best way to life what we morally owe to each other
a. Shift on a practice on improving your own life
b. Hyait thinks its a wrong directions since he thinks it involves denying a practice
to improve your own virtue
b.i. Can do both tho. Engage in a theory of acts that assist and at the same
time practice with the virtues that allow us to act appropriately to each
other & at the same time improve a personal virtue
Thinks that there is a virtue ethical vs. quandary ethics
a. Quandary is a difficult situation that you are difficulty having chosing between
them
b. This turn from character ethics to quandary ethics has turned moral education
away from virtues and toward moral reasoning. If morality is about dilemmas,
then moral education is training in problem solving. Children must be taught how
to think about moral problems, especially how to overcome their natural egoism
and take into their calculations the needs of others.
c. Instilled authoritarian methods of education, the very idea of teaching specific
moral facts and values went out of fashion.
d. would enthusiastically endorse this line, from a recent child-rearing handbook:
My approach does not teach children what and what not to do and why, but
rather, it teaches them how to think so they can decide for themselves what and
what not to do, and why.1
d.i. Says this is wrong because it is like growing plants hydropotically
d.ii. This is an approach that focuses on the rider and not the elephant
d.ii.1.
Hyatt important thing is the elephant
d.ii.2.
If children are to become people that live happy life --need more than reasoning skills but the emotional skills to guide
them
e. Kant talking about moral education didnt think that getting people to reason
through moral dilemmas helps children grow to be good unhappy people
e.i. Dependent of the family lineage of their point of view of virtue
Hyatt is assuming that most philosophers are both:
a. Criterion of rightness
b. Decision procedure
8. Thinking about acts vs. thinking about virtues (disposition of the mind)
9. Hyatt of strengths of character and virtue:
a. While no specific virtue made every list, six broad virtues, or families of related
virtues, appeared on nearly all lists: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice,
temperance, and transcendence (the ability to forge connections to something
larger than the self).
a.i. All very good mental qualities but also something to do with emotions n
choices as well.
a.ii. Involve emotional disposition rather than knowing
a.iii. Is developing these virtues the best bet. Rather than having mandatory for
all people at all times. have all these virtues and not necessarily be
happy
a.iv. Lack of control; people in prison
b. Work on strengths and not on weaknesses
b.i. Life offers so many chances to use one tool instead of another, and often
you can use a strength to get around a weakness.
10. Happiness in this life
a. Is it the best bet in this life to try to develop these virtues?
a.i. We are animals & products of natural selection dispositions express our
genes
a.ii. But evolution doesnt care about happiness
b. Focuses on virtues of justice and humanity this is where it seems more doubtful
c. Volunteering
c.i. A symptom of happiness rather than a result of happiness
c.ii. Need to find the reverse effects alleristic acts show benefits to other n
themselves
11. Future of virtue
a. Experiencing Anonmie
a.i. No constraints and no sense of rules
b. Value in diversity to learn from different cultures, religions, values, etc.
c. Can not easily separate the diversity that is benefitial and less benefitial wont
happen
d. We all want freedom and diversity !! L very big issue!
e. Communities that we all agree about these values and without in a community of
anonmie