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Alevel philosophy help

My 25 marker is on Does virtue ethics provide clear guidance on how to act and I have to reject virtue ethics.

I’m rllt struggling with planning this essay and coming up with points if anyone could help.

Reply 1

Is this for the AQA Philosophy A level? If so it's a more narrow question than they would normally set. But basically I'd do the clear guidance and clashing virtues issues.

Reply 2

Original post
by Joe312
Is this for the AQA Philosophy A level? If so it's a more narrow question than they would normally set. But basically I'd do the clear guidance and clashing virtues issues.


Yes it is for AQA and thankyou sm

Reply 3

Original post
by Aarushiuuuuu
My 25 marker is on Does virtue ethics provide clear guidance on how to act and I have to reject virtue ethics.
I’m rllt struggling with planning this essay and coming up with points if anyone could help.

I'm in year 13 and I think that I have a 22 that I could send over if it's not too late!! (it was definetly at least 20)? If I remember correctly, I did against, and basically argued that it ultimately fails because it doesn't give us guidance to act and so isn't an effective normative ethical theory. I did a big introduction with evaluation + an explanation of most of VE, then 1st paragraph was issue of circularity of definitions, 2nd was no clear guidance on how to act (from doctrine of the mean or practical wisdom), and the last was conflicting virtues (with counters and responses for each + eval at the end of each paragraph), and concluded by saying that each of the objections strengthen each other and reiterating no clear guidance (impossible to know how to act if you don't have practical wisdom, but need to be virtuous to have practical wisdom, but need to have practical wisdom to know what is virtuous. I hope this isn't confusing! I think the question seems narrow but it actually isn't really - the purpose of every normative ethical theory we study is to give clear guidance om how to act, so it's really asking the same question as one that simply said 'Is VE correct?'

Reply 4

Original post
by abcdedcba
I'm in year 13 and I think that I have a 22 that I could send over if it's not too late!! (it was definetly at least 20)? If I remember correctly, I did against, and basically argued that it ultimately fails because it doesn't give us guidance to act and so isn't an effective normative ethical theory. I did a big introduction with evaluation + an explanation of most of VE, then 1st paragraph was issue of circularity of definitions, 2nd was no clear guidance on how to act (from doctrine of the mean or practical wisdom), and the last was conflicting virtues (with counters and responses for each + eval at the end of each paragraph), and concluded by saying that each of the objections strengthen each other and reiterating no clear guidance (impossible to know how to act if you don't have practical wisdom, but need to be virtuous to have practical wisdom, but need to have practical wisdom to know what is virtuous. I hope this isn't confusing! I think the question seems narrow but it actually isn't really - the purpose of every normative ethical theory we study is to give clear guidance om how to act, so it's really asking the same question as one that simply said 'Is VE correct?'


Thank you so much for your help! If ypu can I would find it helpful if you send your essay Asw

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