Analytic Philosophy

Analytic Ethics

How were virtue ethics rediscovered in analytic philosophy?

Aristotelian virtue ethics, mainly as expressed in Aristotle’s (384–322 B.C.E.) Nicomachean Ethics, were revisited in analytic philosophy to create rationalist moral systems. According to Aristotle, we develop our individual virtues through a rational process of deliberating and then choosing what to do in action. The revival of Aristotelian ethics was sometimes pursued in opposition to other prominent moral systems and moral theories. Philippa Foot (1920-) and Alasdair MacIntyre (1929-) are noteworthy twentieth century virtue ethicists.