In this lecture, ethics were discussed. For the first half, the guest speaker showed us cases controversial advertising. The lecturer made a clear distinction between what is ethical, and what is done in good or bad taste
The second half of the lecture saw us looking at the three fundamental ethical theories: Deontology, Consequentialism, and virtue.
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Virtue ethics was of particular interest to me, as it was something that I studied last year in high school. A branch of virtue ethics that I am familiar with is Nicomachean Ethics, which is the work of philosopher Aristotle.
Aristotle believed that the 'good life' of a man was a life of happiness. He defined happiness as - "an activity of the soul in accordance with perfect virtue". To achieve this, Aristotle argued that people should act by the 'The Mean' or the 'Doctrine of the Mean', an idea briefly discussed in the lecture.
As described on the power-point slide above, The Mean says that one must act in in moderation, so as to achieve a balance (between rashness and cowardice). Whilst Aristotle was a relativist, believing that there is more than one way to live the 'good life', he expressed that the proper way to behave in an ethical manner is through The Mean.
However, the black and white nature of Aristotle's moral guidelines, have meant that it has raised many questions. For instance, are all ethical actions, acts of moderation? Surely sometimes reckless behaviour is praiseworthy? Some people who are immoderate by nature, might not find happiness in moderation... Are 'moderation' and 'excess' culturally determined standards?
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