VIRTUES AND PRACTICES
After reading MacIntyre's account of practices and virtue and watching the associated videos, outline a practice in your own life that you believe requires the virtues in order to be successful.
Explain what the practice is and what makes it a practice, according to MacIntyre's definition. Explain what the "internal goods" of the practice are, and how they differ from certain "external goods", and explain how the possession or lack of the virtues makes a difference to one's attainment of these internal goods.
Finally, think back to the week 1 discussion of the "Ring of Gyges" story from Plato's Republic. How might the distinction between internal and external goods bear on the decision about whether and how to use the ring; for example, would it help or hinder the attainment of the goods you identified? (Hint: think about the connection between Groundhog Day and the Ring of Gyges story, and what Phil's transformation might suggest about the relative importance of internal vs. external goods.)
MacIntyre, Alasdair. After Virtue,
HABIT OF VIRTUE
An important aspect of Aristotle's virtue ethics is the idea that virtues are "habits" that we acquire over time, and like any habit, virtues affect not just what we do, but our desires and emotions as well.
Focusing on either Hill's article or Robinson's article, how might the possession or lack of the virtues make a difference to our attitudes and actions toward the environment or within the context of the military (focus your discussion on just one of those, but feel free to discuss the other in reply to other people's posts)? For example, you might think about the difference between someone who has the virtues vs. someone who thinks solely in utilitarian terms or solely in terms of duty. You might also refer back to the discussions of animal ethics or military ethics.
Compare this with other, more familiar habits in your life, and how good and bad habits can have an effect on how one acts and feels beyond simply "knowing" what's right or wrong.