Essay on Virtue, Ethics, and Utilitarianism: Understanding Moral Behavior

A virtuous disposition is characterized by having a character based on showing high moral standards through an individual's conduct. Being vitreous is characterized by moral excellence; where an individual bases all their actions on morality. In close relation to morality is ethics, whereby an individual does what is right according to the principles that guide what is either right or wrong in society. Being virtuous has various benefits to an individual, from their domestic setting, stretching to their professional life. Therefore, when individuals have a vitreous disposition, they are in a better position to achieve their personal and professional goals. From a professional perspective, various careers have a code of conduct. That guides the behavior of individuals in whatever they engage in as they offer their professional services. When an individual does not observe the virtues upon which their professional code of conduct is based, they face disciplinary action (DeRosa, 2006). The disciplinary action may turn into the termination of employment of negative reviews by employers. However, when an individual has a vitreous disposition, they build a great career profile. They benefit from referrals, which enables them to grow their career excellently.

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An individual with a vitreous disposition also has the benefit of achieving their personal goals. When an individual is vitreous, they will be guided by the best interests of society. Therefore, there will be few inconveniences associated with improper conduct, which might cause obstacles to achieving their personal goals. They will be more likely to win others' trust, who will offer support to their endeavors. However, when an individual lacks a vitreous disposition, most people might not trust them with resources that they may use to further their personal development. Therefore, they will have lower chances of achieving their personal goals. When an individual lacks vitreous disposition, there is a high chance of facing legal consequences. The individual is likely to be sued because of their unacceptable behavior, which is more likely to derail their activities and the associated success levels. Therefore, when an individual has a vitreous disposition, there is a high chance of achieving personal and professional goals.

The concept of virtue means individual acts reasonably and morally. Their behavior is based on ethics and morality, which considers their interests and the principles upon which the society's convenience is based. According to Aristotle, the concept of virtue means an individual's disposition to behave in the right manner, based on the standards society adopts. Virtue is based on avoiding any form of conduct that will be against society's interests, based on their culture or regulations that are put in place by the leaders. Virtue is cultivated majorly through practice and habit, which shapes a vitreous individual primarily. Therefore, the concept of virtue is cultivated by an individual willingly over time. When an individual is vitreous, they are described as being good people. The goodness is based on the degree of moral character that the individual depicts through their conduct.

Being vitreous defines an individual in multiple ways, which shows consistency between their conduct and morality. Being vitreous defines an individual by analyzing the pattern of their behavior over time. When individuals are moral for the better part of the time, they are described as being vitreous. Furthermore, being vitreous can be defined in an individual based on their priorities. When an individual's priorities are based on society's better interests and not their interests, they are considered to be vitreous. When a person is vitreous, they will have morality guiding their behavior as they interact with people. For example, I consider myself to be vitreous. Most of the time, I act according to the better interests of society and ethics. With ethical conduct, that means that there is a virtue in my conduct, which signifies a vitreous disposition. That is primarily the description of an individual being virtuous; conformity to ethics and morality.

Virtues are primarily meant to create order in any society, where people act within the interest of others. However, the specificities that go inter, determining which activity is right or wrong may differ from one culture to another. That is because the school of thought adopted by one cultural perspective may be slightly different from another. However, some basics are to largely similar to most cultures. First, there is prudence, which describes the quality of an individual being careful in their conduct. The other primary virtue across all cultures is justice, where individuals are fair and just in their conduct (van Oudenhoven et al., 2012). Lastly, there is benevolence, which encourages people to be kind in their conduct. In my culture and almost all others, these are the primary virtues that individuals are encouraged to embrace in their daily activities. That promotes peaceful coexistence in society. Therefore, the original idea of virtues in my culture is consistent with almost all other cultures.

In a cultural context, the idea of virtues fits indifferently across various types of cultures. The reason for the difference is the cultural practices that people embrace in the various types of culture. Different cultures subscribe to different perspectives of virtue, which explains the difference between the cultures. An activity that might be viewed as right in one culture might be perceived as unacceptable in another culture. That introduces the aspect of cultural fit regarding virtues. In a cultural context, there are slight differences in moral principles. That is based on the historical factors considered when deciding what is acceptable or not in a given society. Therefore, being vitreous in a cultural context is subject to the rules and regulations that govern the conduct of people practicing specified cultural practices. However, the primary virtues are all the same, because of the uniformity of the intended ethical consequences. Therefore, it is factual to state that being virtuous varies slightly among different cultures. That is explained by the historical practices that are embraced and upheld by culture over time. However, the primary goals of the virtues are largely the same.

Utilitarianism refers to an ethical, theoretical perspective whereby the outcome of an action determines whether it is ethical. The end justifies the means in this case. Therefore, the means to achieve an outcome is immaterial, but what is of great importance is the outcome of all actions. I perceive the theory as being great because the outcome of an action is of greatest importance. There is a need to analyze an activity with great emphasis being on the outcome. Therefore, the utilitarian theory is great in determining whether an action is vitreous or not. Furthermore, there is the idea of the group and individual happiness. Individual happiness is great; because of the satisfaction that it causes. However, of greater importance is group happiness. That is because it makes the welfare of more people better, far more important than the happiness of an individual. Therefore, an individual should be committed to following a course of action that is committed to causing happiness to more people than an individual.

Conclusion

Virtues are important in guiding the conduct of an individual in life. From their personal goals to their profession and the wellness of society, virtues are of great significance. Therefore, an individual must consider morals and ethics in ensuring their satisfaction and the people around them. With virtues, an individual is more likely to achieve personal satisfaction and conform to other people's preferences. There are slight differences that exist in the application of virtues across various cultures. However, the primary interests of human welfare are the same. Therefore, individuals are encouraged to adhere to virtues for better outcomes.

References

DeRosa, G. P. (2006). Professionalism and Virtues. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research (1976-2007), 449, 28-33. https://journals.lww.com/corr/Abstract/2006/08000/Professionalism_and_Virtues_.7.aspxvan

Oudenhoven, J. P., de Raad, B., Carmona, C., Helbig, A. K., & van der Linden, M. (2012). Are virtues shaped by national cultures or religions?. Swiss Journal of Psychology, 71(1), 29. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.728.5312&rep=rep1&type=pdf