Title
The Unity of the Virtues Revisited
Department/School
Philosophy
Date
2021
Document Type
Book Chapter
Keywords
the unity of the virtues, cardinal virtues, virtue ethics, virtuous action, arguments for disunity
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-24466-8_6
Abstract
The classical doctrine of the unity of the virtues is generally rejected today. After arguing that the doctrine is more tenable than is commonly allowed, I consider a new and possibly cogent objection based on the idea that some virtues, in some cultural settings, are of diminished importance, and thus are not necessary for the possession of other virtues. I develop a revised version of the doctrine which maintains that certain central virtues are unified, and that any other virtues are dependent upon them, but allows that an agent might have these central virtues without possessing certain other virtues. The upshot will be that a revised but still quite strong version of the unity doctrine remains interesting and defensible.
Published in
Handbuch Tugendethik
Citation/Other Information
Christopher Toner. "The Unity of the Virtues Revisited." In Handbuch Tugendethik, 65-79, 2021.