Treatise on the Virtues

Virtue Ethics in Positive Organizational Scholarship: An Integrative Perspective

“…With virtue thus defined for individuals, it is important to address the objection “but isn't virtuousness dependent on the context?” An obsessive mortgage loan officer is tedious to work with, but an investment advisor who puts in long hours scouring the details of potential investments may attract repeat business. We argue here that virtuousness does not depend solely on the context; instead, virtue is anchored by some universal purpose (Aquinas, ; Hauerwas & Pinches, ), and a context can itself be evaluated according to the degree to which it supports the development of individual character that accords with that purpose. We label organizations whose culture, climate, or other contextual influences support expressions of character that are deficient relative to the golden mean anomic .…”

“…From the perspective of virtue ethics, virtue rests in the character excellence of a person. It entails habits that dispose a person to think, feel, and act in a certain way (Aquinas, ; Aristotle, ). A virtue is, in and of itself, a good attribute of a person, because to the extent that it is perfected, it realizes some aspect of what the person ought to be (Aquinas, ; Aristotle, ).…”

“…It entails habits that dispose a person to think, feel, and act in a certain way (Aquinas, ; Aristotle, ). A virtue is, in and of itself, a good attribute of a person, because to the extent that it is perfected, it realizes some aspect of what the person ought to be (Aquinas, ; Aristotle, ). It is not an instrumental capability to perform good actions; instead, an action is good to the extent that it reflects a virtue, because an action's purpose is merely a reflection of the actor, who in turn is a greater or lesser reflection of his or her ultimate purpose or place in the order of being.…”

“…First, for the virtue ethicist, virtue is rooted in human character, generating a way of being that is good in itself. Whether that good‐in‐itself is defined pragmatically as well‐functioning in community (Solomon, ) or with reference to metaphysical foundations (Aquinas, ; MacIntyre, ), it can be defined, justified, and critiqued. This view is in contrast to the empirical perspective, which focuses on the description of virtue as expressed through the behaviours of people, groups, or organizations.…”

The Virtues of Being Human: Faith, Hope, and Love in James Gray's The Immigrant (2013), The Lost City of Z (2016), and Ad Astra (2019)

“…[and] are infused in us by God alone." 4 The Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church echoes the divine orientation of these virtues: "The theological virtues relate directly to God. They dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity."…”