Moral Realism
Principles
Virtue ethics teaches:
An action is only right if it is an action that a virtuous person would carry out in the same circumstances.
A virtuous person is a person who acts virtuously
A person acts virtuously if they "possess and live the virtues"
A virtue is a moral characteristic that a person needs to live well.
Lists of the virtues
The traditional list of cardinal virtues was:
Prudence
Justice
Fortitude / Bravery
Temperance
Character-based ethics
A right act is the action a virtuous person would do in the same circumstances.
A good person is someone who lives virtuously - who possesses and lives the virtues.
The three questions
The modern philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre proposed three questions as being at the heart of moral thinking:
Who am I?
Who ought I to become?
How ought I to get there?