Introduction

Abstract

According to virtue ethics, one’s character is the fundamental ethical concern, rather than moral rules or the consequences of one’s actions. In recent decades, a significant body of work has emerged in which moral philosophers have articulated and defended virtue ethics as a distinct approach to normative ethics.¹ Relatively less attention has been devoted to the application of virtue ethics to particular moral issues. However, this is beginning to change, as many philosophers and other ethicists are beginning to apply a virtue ethical perspective to a variety of areas of applied ethics, including professional ethics, education, moral development, bioethics, environmental ethics, sports ethics, jurisprudence, philosophy of love and sex, and political philosophy.² The aim of this volume is to extend the application of virtue ethics to such areas of practical import.