Comparison Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparison - Essay Example Virtue ethics written by Aristotle emphasize that a person is deemed to be of an upright character if the choice he or she makes or if his or her actions display a morally virtuous character. This implies that for a person to develop the right moral virtues, he or she must mull over his or her thoughts, feelings and attitudes. Confucian ethics, on the other hand, are defined as kinds of virtues. Some people have described them as the virtues of virtues. This is because they are the virtues that are in a much defined and detailed manner. Confucius expounded on the virtue ethics, adding his own principles and integrating them with the religious views of the Chinese people. Confucian ethics mostly focus on humanity of a person. This is where he explains the need for compassion among human beings, good heartedness, and altruism. Confucian ethics also focus on the morality of a person, which he describes as righteousness. Since the Confucian ethics are not bound by any law, he also articu lates the fact that morality comes by reason and differentiating between what is good and what is wrong. In the Confucian ethics of humanity, the ethics have a characteristic of placing human beings before property. Confucius elaborates clearly that humans are to be more valued than property such as horses. He focuses on the generosity on fellow humans but not on property. The virtue ethics, on the other hand, describe a moral person as one who will treat all things within his reach with care and concern. Virtue ethics are meant to change person’s overall character traits, not only towards humans but also towards other things, as long as they are of importance to him or her (Shun and Wong 23). One more difference that comes out in analyzing Confucian and virtue ethics is that virtue ethics consider a person as being responsible both to himself and to the community. The Confucian ethics, however, give a different view concerning the duty to the community. Confucius points out that a person’s self and his or her family should come before the community. In his definition of virtue ethics, however, Aristotle emphasizes that good morals shape persons’ character traits, thus helping them make the right decisions. And, in turn, these decisions will affect the community as a whole. Value of the comparison Looking at the above comparison, one understands that virtue ethics help us in decision-making. According to Aristotle, it is virtue ethics that shape our thinking and our emotions, thus determining the decisions that we make (Carden 20). Virtue ethics, when well applied, also assist us in solving difficult life situations. When a person is faced with difficulties in life, he or she is able to solve them having other people in mind, so that his or her decisions do not affect the community negatively. In this case, I would say that the comparison is important, since, unlike what the Confucian ethics say, the community is of great importance to our thinking. The same applies to our property. In my opinion, we should also have our properties at the back of our minds when we are making any decisions. Confucian ethics, on the other hand, guide us in our relationships with our fellow human beings. By applying the ethics of humanity and compassion, human beings are able to co-relate well with each other. Thus, by combining the two