[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Medical ethics](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/) › [Foundations of bioethics](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/areas/foundations/) › Virtue ethics # Virtue ethics - Theory Virtue ethics asks what kind of person the doctor should be; acting well is acting as a virtuous person would. Updated Nov 13, 2026 ## Key points - Aristotle: virtues as character traits acquired through practice; goal: flourishing (eudaimonia). - Phronesis (prudence, practical wisdom): knowing what the concrete case calls for. - The mean: virtue lies between a deficiency and an excess. - Hursthouse: an act is right if it is what a virtuous person would do in the circumstances. - Main criticism: it gives little concrete guidance in a dilemma; reply: virtues generate rules («do what is honest, not what is cruel»). ## What it is Virtue ethics goes back to Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics). It puts character at the centre: virtues are stable traits that let one act, feel and choose well, and they are acquired through practice, like a craft. Its goal is a flourishing life (eudaimonia). The key virtue is prudence or practical wisdom (phronesis), which lets one see what each situation calls for. Many virtues lie in a mean between a deficiency and an excess: courage lies between cowardice and recklessness. This ethics came back strongly in the twentieth century, when several philosophers criticised rule-based theories for forgetting character, motives and emotions. Rosalind Hursthouse proposed a criterion: an act is right if it is what a virtuous person would characteristically do in the circumstances. This page goes deeper than the summary in «Ethical theories in brief». ## Core ideas - Virtue (arete): a stable disposition to act, feel and choose well. - Flourishing (eudaimonia): the accomplished human life that the virtues aim at. - Practical wisdom (phronesis): unites the virtues and applies them to the case. - The mean: neither deficiency nor excess, depending on the situation. - Formation: virtues are learned by imitating role models and practising, not only by reading rules. ## In clinical practice - In medical training, role models (teachers who act well) teach virtues that no regulation can pass on. - When breaking bad news, the question «what would a good doctor do here?» guides tone, timing and words. - Courage in the mean: standing up for the patient against undue pressure, without recklessness or needless conflict. - Honesty as a virtue leads to disclosing errors even when the rule is unclear. ## Criticisms and limits - Action guidance: in a dilemma, «act as a virtuous person would» may not say what to do. - Relativity: different cultures prize different virtues; which ones belong to the doctor? - Situationism: psychology studies suggest behaviour depends more on the situation than on character. - Reply: virtues generate rules («do what is honest, what is compassionate; not what is cruel») and coexist with principles and duties. - Law 23 of 1981 (art. 2) adopts an oath that asks the doctor to practise the profession with dignity and conscience: an ideal of character, not only of conduct. ## Test yourself Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it. ## What central question does virtue ethics ask? What kind of person the agent should be; acting well is doing what a virtuous person would do in the circumstances. ## What is phronesis? Prudence or practical wisdom: the virtue that lets one see what each concrete situation calls for and apply the other virtues well. ## What does it mean that virtue lies in the mean? That it sits between a deficiency and an excess, as courage lies between cowardice and recklessness. ## How does virtue ethics answer the criticism that it does not guide action? Virtues generate practical rules: do what is honest, just and compassionate, and do not do what is dishonest or cruel. [Add to my cards (4)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/medical-ethics/virtue-ethics/) ## Connections ## Related 4 - [The five focal virtues of the doctor and the ideal physician](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/the-five-focal-virtues-of-the-doctor-and-the-ideal-physician/) - [Ethical theories in brief: duty, consequences, virtue, casuistry, care](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/ethical-theories-in-brief-duty-consequences-virtue-casuistry-care/) - [Professionalism and the virtues of a doctor](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/professionalism-and-the-virtues-of-a-doctor/) - [The ethics of care](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/the-ethics-of-care/) [← All of medical ethics](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/) Educational content on ethics and health law; not legal advice. Laws and case law change: each page links the official text and says when it was last checked. For a real case, read the text in force and ask a lawyer or the medical ethics tribunal. Sources: [Virtue Ethics](https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-virtue/) (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2026); [Exploring Modern Virtue Ethics in the Context of Oral Healthcare](https://doi.org/10.17159/2519-0105/2022/v77no5a9) (South African Dental Journal, 2022); [Ley 23 de 1981, por la cual se dictan normas en materia de ética médica](https://www.funcionpublica.gov.co/eva/gestornormativo/norma.php?i=68760) (Función Pública, Gestor Normativo, 1981). ## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/virtue-ethics/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/virtue-ethics/