On Virtue Ethics [Hardcover]

Virtue ethics is perhaps the most important development within late twentieth-century moral philosophy. Rosalind Hursthouse, who has made notable contributions to this development, here presents a full exposition and defense of her neo-Aristotelian version of virtue ethics. She shows how virtue ethics can provide guidance for action, illuminate moral dilemmas, and bring out the moral significance of the emotions.

Introduction; PART I: ACTION; 1. Right Action; 2. Resolvable dilemmas; 3. Irresolvable and tragic dilemmas; PART II: EMOTION AND MOTIVATION; 4. Aristotle and Kant; 5. Virtue and the emotions; 6. The virtuous agent's reasons for action; 7. Moral motivation; PART III: RATIONALITY; 8. The virtues benefit their possessor; 9. Naturalism; 10. Naturalism for rational animals; 11. Objectivity; Bibliography; Index.

Rosalind Hursthouse is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the Open University.