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      Right action and the non-virtuous agent

      van Zyl, Liezl
      DOI
       10.1111/j.1468-5930.2010.00514.x
      Link
       onlinelibrary.wiley.com
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      Citation
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      van Zyl, L. (2010). Right action and the non-virtuous agent. Journal of Applied Philosophy, 28(1), 80-92.
      Permanent Research Commons link: https://hdl.handle.net/10289/5129
      Abstract
      According to qualified-agent virtue ethics, an action is right if and only if it is what a virtuous agent would characteristically do in the circumstances. I discuss two closely related objections to this view, both of which concern the actions of the non-virtuous. The first is that this criterion sometimes gives the wrong result, for in some cases a non-virtuous agent should not do what a virtuous person would characteristically do. A second objection is it altogether fails to apply whenever the agent, through previous wrongdoing, finds herself in circumstances that a virtuous person cannot be in. I focus on Rosalind Hursthouse's account of right action, and argue that it can provide a satisfactory response to both these objections. I do so by drawing attention to the distinction between action guidance and action assessment, and arguing that while the above criterion is adequate as a means of action assessment, we should turn to the virtue- and vice-rules (v-rules) for action guidance.
      Date
      2010
      Type
      Journal Article
      Publisher
      Blackwell Publishing
      Collections
      • Arts and Social Sciences Papers [1424]
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