Laurie Johnson is teaching an introduction to Aristotle’s virtue ethics for the Maurin Academy this summer. The schedule and details are here:
We need a solid understanding of ethics now more than ever, and knowing Aristotle’s Ethics can help us with that. Starting May 19, Dr Laurie Johnson will lead a four week series on Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics, with an emphasis on its use in Christian theology and practice in the final session. The class will take place on four Mondays: May 19 & 26th, June 2 & 9. Readings will be supplied but reading is not mandatory.
If you register for one of the four weeks you will have access to the live and recorded classes for all four weeks.
Plan:
Situating Virtue Ethics: This week we will situate Aristotle’s virtue ethics in the bigger picture of moral philosophy by contrasting ancient and modern political and moral thought.
Aristotle’s Construction of Virtue Ethics: We will learn about Aristotle’s “teleological” approach to moral philosophy, with its aim at human flourishing, and will explore how Aristotle formulated the virtues in his Nichomachean Ethics, including his famous doctrine of “the mean.”
The Virtues in Practice: We will continue discussing specific virtues, and we’ll learn about how Stanley Hauerwas and Alasdaire Macintyre make use of Aristotle’s ethics. The main aim of this week will be to understand and think about how to apply Aristotle’s virtues in our own lives.
Aristotelian Virtues For Christians: Without Prejudice: Aristotle’s virtues contain a tendency to what we now see as stereotypes, such as rigid male and female roles. We will explore what it takes to gain the most from virtue ethics while avoiding unnecessary prejudices. If we can do this, Aristotle can help us develop our characters in an ethically impoverished social climate!
