Julia Annas: Being Virtuous and Doing the Right Thing

question 4

Multiple Choice

Julia Annas: Being Virtuous and Doing the Right Thing
Annas begins by describing the orthodox way of doing ethics in the twentieth century. The standard aim of ethical theory, she maintains, has been the search for a decision procedure - i.e., a specific set of instructions for how to act that applies to everyone in the same way. Annas believes that this "manual model" of ethics should be rejected, and replaced with the approach offered by virtue ethics.
Before turning to her virtue-based approach, Annas offers three main criticisms of the manual model of ethics. First, the manual model predicts there could be moral savants. But, unlike in mathematics, there are no moral savants. Children are moral idiots. Second, the manual model makes possible a person brilliant at giving moral advice, while having a character and values that are morally detestable. But this, Annas claims, is absurd. Third, and most importantly by Annas's lights, the manual model of morality give specific and decisive answers concerning what we should do - i.e., we are told what to do. But we do not want morality dictating our lives around. Aren't we, Annas questions, losing an important sense in which we should be making our own decisions? Virtue ethics, Annas claims, avoids these problems.
According to Annas, we should think of becoming virtuous on the lines of learning to be a builder. To become a better builder you start by picking a role model and copying what she does. Slowly, you learn to build better, engaging in the activity in a way which is less dependent on the examples of others and expresses more understanding of your own. Finally, you progress from piecemeal understanding of building to a more unified understanding of building. You have, that is, become a good builder. Being morally good, Annas argues, proceeds in this same way. We look to virtuous human beings, and the practical wisdom they demonstrate, so that we too can become virtuous - doing the right thing, for the right reasons, with the right motive. In short, we learn to live virtuous lives by acting as the virtuous person acts, until we can grasp what virtue demands for ourselves. Thus, just as what is right for one acquiring a skill depends on her stage of development, the morally right action differs depending on where the agent is in her development of a virtuous character.
-Annas objects to the manual model of ethics on the grounds that it:

• A) predicts there could be moral savants.
• B) makes possible a person brilliant at giving moral advice with a morally detestable character.
• C) gives specific and decisive answers concerning what you should do.
• D) all of the above.

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Definitions:

Acquisition Differential

The difference between the acquisition cost of an entity and the fair value of its net identifiable assets at the time of acquisition.

Land Account

An account on a company's balance sheet that represents the cost of land owned by the company without any depreciation applied, since land is considered to have an unlimited useful life.

Investment Account

An account held at a financial institution for the purpose of managing securities, such as stocks and bonds, for investment purposes.

Equity Method

An accounting technique used to record investments in other companies, where the investment is initially recorded at cost and adjusted over time for the investor's share of the investee's net profits or losses.