Virtue Theory: Is it Virtuous?

The final secular ethical theory on want to talk about is the theory of Virtue. Proposed by the infamous Greek philosopher Aristotle, the virtue ethic in a nutshell is that humans act in some way to attain some good. The higher the good, the better.

I like Aristotle's point of view, but I think it has to be elaborated on a little more. He was focused on the idea of Politics being the master science for practicing virtue, and the first principle of politics is happiness. I think that God makes it so much easier for us. The best away to attain the best good is to act in a way that is line with the will of the one true God. To act in this way is sure to bring happiness; happiness in this life, and happiness in the life to come.

The reason I like Aristotles point is because it is more salient, more attainable for the common man to act in an ethically superior way. He just doesn't go far enough. He has the end, to attain the good of happiness, he just doesn't have the means, which is through the power and love of God through Jesus Christ. It would be interesting to hear his perspective now; his time was a couple hundred years before Jesus came on the scene.

The Universalism of Kantianism

In my studies of philosophy, I have always noticed that viewpoints in philosophy goes from one extreme to another. In ethics, one extreme is Utilitarianism, which is discussed below. The other end of the extreme I believe is the theory put forth by the Immanuel Kant, which I will regard as Kantianism. Kant was a polar opposite in regard to the Utilitarianism put forth by Jeremy Bentham. In essence, Kant put forth in imperative that regarding acting ethically in universal terms. If an action cannot be right (or wrong) in any thinkable scenario, it is not to be accepted as a rule. For example, if I make a universal rule that it is wrong for a human to kill another human, there is not circumstance that can be an exception to that rule. If I kill in the heat of passion, premeditated, in war, in self-defense, it does not matter. I have no justification for killing anyone, because I have made a rule against killing.

It's funny, I find that the major downfall of Kantianism is its lack of flexibility. I think to a degree you have to find some sort of flexibility in your viewpoint. I think universals are difficult at best to achieve. Its funny, the very things I am critical about in line with Utilitarianism (it has so much flexibility it is relative), I am also critical about Kantianism for the opposite reasons (it is not flexible enough). I think the next position takes a bit of a middle ground that I think is necessary to bridge the gap between these striking viewpoints.

The Utility of Utilitarianism

The beautiful thing about an Ethics class based in a Christian perspective is that it is necessary to talk about the secular ethical theories. I am a philosophy minor, so topics of philosophical theory are of interest to me. I have been charged with my thoughts on utilitarianism.

The leading proponent of Utilitarianism is a man by the name of Jeremy Bentham. In a nutshell, without having to go to the work of citing someone, my understanding of utilitarianism is based on the greatest good principle; achieving the greatest good for the greatest amount of people is the best route to take. In its crudest form, it is the goal to gain the greatest amount of pleasure, and the least amount of pain.

Utilitarianism is a neat idea, but it falls short in the field of subjectivity. What brings me great utility may come at the utility expense of another. It places pleasure and pain on a relative scale; there are no absolutes to reference to, just cause and effect along the scale of pleasure and pain... It doesn't sound too promising to me.

Utilitarianism can't hold its weight against a God who promises the ultimate pleasure... eternal life. The tenth chapter of John (my paraphrase) states that Jesus came to give life to its fullest measure, something that utilitarianism cannot promise. Needless to say, Jesus is the way.

Doing the Drudgery

Drudgery... even saying sounds so dreadful. Drudgery as defined by Oswald Chambers is "work far removed from anything having to do with the ideal-the utterly mean grubby things". Sometimes the work put before a person is just plain dreadful, so insignificant, so menial, so gross, so "beneath me"... it takes a lot, and the right frame of mind to be able to do it. Chambers talks of some work of drudgery Jesus did: the washing of a bunch of dirty fisherman's feet (tax collectors and political zealots too). Jesus served as a leader, which is unheard of, but also served in a way that was completely beneath him as a teacher. This is not the first time Jesus has turned thinking upside down... first comes last, to lead you have to serve... dichotomies and contradictions indeed. Jesus gets sleeve deep in the drudgery of washing feet... and he calls us to do the same. Audio Adrenaline came out with a song several years ago that speaks of an attitude necessary to work in drudgery. The song is so aptly named "Dirty":

Tired of being clean, sick of being proper, I want to live among the beggars and dig out in the dirt, step outside the walls we built to protect us, don't be afraid to get some mud on your face, come on come on everybody, come on come on and serve some one. Let's get dirty, let's get used, no matter where you come from, if your beaten up or bruised, let's get foolish, let's get free, free to be the one thing, you were meant to be, let's get dirty. You might get a bruise, or some blisters on your fingers, you might start to question or wonder what it's worth, you might slip and fall from the burdens that you carry, but you can't have this treasure till you dig it from the dirt.

May we all go out and get Dirty among the drudgery.

Struggling to Stick With It

I have found journaling to be the most difficult component of my course of study. It is so easy to completely space out and forget to do it. I find myself almost on a nightly basis, saying "I will get it next time, I'll just do it in the morning." Two weeks later, and I have dropped the ball greatly!

So with this in mind, I recommit my efforts to maintaining my journal. This day I am charged to write how the New Testament informs moral reflection. I believe that the biggest informant of moral reflection is the person and life of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ turned the world upside down when he summed up all of the law and prophets with a commandment of Love. The love that Jesus Christ speaks of can easily guide moral actions. It seems so simple, but it isn't much more difficult than Love. All you need is love.

Reflection On Deuteronomy 6:4-9

In this journal post, I have been asked to reflect on a passage of Scripture. It comes from Deuteronomy 6:

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. ⁵ Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Followed by this closing thought from my lesson: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is an interesting summary of the law. It affirms that the people gathered before Moses should love God completely, obey the commandments, and teach the commandments to their children. This passage gives us a threefold perspective on the quality of life indicated by the Old Testament. This is worth reflecting upon as we study ethical living.

It seems so simple, right? love God, obey his commands, and pass them on. Do this and you will have a good life. Why does it seem that life gets so complicated that we stray so far away from this simple formula? It is a wise individual who can continue to keep this simple formula active in their life, and find balance in the moral life. It is my hope as I continue in this course that I can continue to come back to this simple concept of walking in step with God.

Resources to Enrich the Soul and Mind

In this journal entry I am charged with listing and prioritizing resources that enrich the soul and mind. The first one that pops into my head is the Bible. I think the word of God should be the keynote to enriching the soul and mind. Also prayer, speaking to God. Relating to that is devotionals, especially the writings of my homeboy Oswald Chambers. Other ways to enrich the soul and mind are through education and worship, which can be gained at Sunday Morning Church services, or during a small group meeting. Other enrichment ideas are music, fellowship with family, friends and other believers, exercise, laughing, contemplating, silence... This list could go on and on. I guess I can make it into a top ten.

1) Prayer - direct dialogue with God.
2) Reading the Bible - Contact with the word of God.
3) Worship - Praising, honoring, serving God.
4) Education - learning more about God and his son Jesus Christ.
5 Devotions - Reading the works of others elaborating on God.
6) Fellowship - Fostering relationships among others.
7) Silence - Less me, more God.
8) Contemplation - Why do I choose to believe what I believe and why is it important?
9) Laughing - A simple pleasure of life taken for Granted.
10) Exercise - Clears the mind, refreshes the body, promotes overall health of the individual.

There you have it, my top ten list of ways to enrich the soul and the mind.

Ethical Reflection: Round 5

This is my final passage that I have selected for Ethical Reflection. It is old testament, It comes from the 8th Chapter of the Solomon's Song of Songs:

⁶ Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.

⁷ Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot wash it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of his house for love,
it would be utterly scorned.

This is one of my favorite passages of scripture. It speaks of another aspect of living an ethically moral life; the aspect of how one treats his/her spouse. I find that this is a powerful example of the way that God has designed love to be in the context of a marriage. It burns like a blazing fire, and rivers cannot put it out. I know that Solomon knows about rivers, I'm sure he was familiar with the big rivers like the Euphrates, the Nile, even the Jordan River. All of these were powerful rivers, but rivers could not wash away the passionate fire that is love. I hope and pray that for each person who reads this, they have or will some day experience the passionate love that God designed to exist between a man and a woman.