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23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 1. Virtue Theory / c. Particularism

[there are no rules, so we must attend to details]

17 ideas
It is not universals we must perceive for virtue, but particulars, seen as intrinsically good [Aristotle, by Achtenberg]
Actions concern particular cases, and rules must fit the cases, not the other way round [Aristotle]
We cannot properly judge by rules, because blame depends on perception of particulars [Aristotle]
All human ills result from failure to apply preconceptions to particular cases [Epictetus]
Moralities extravagantly address themselves to 'all', by falsely generalising [Nietzsche]
No two actions are the same [Nietzsche]
Moral generalisation is wrong, because we should evaluate individual acts [Nietzsche, by Foot]
I see the need to pay a debt in a particular instance, and any instance will do [Prichard]
The complexities of life make it almost impossible to assess morality from a universal viewpoint [Prichard]
The mistake is to think we can prove what can only be seen directly in moral thinking [Prichard]
Prima facie duties rest self-evidently on particular circumstance [Ross]
The ground for an attitude is not a thing's 'goodness', but its concrete characteristics [Ewing]
If I attend properly I will have no choices [Murdoch]
Particularism gives no guidance for the future [Nussbaum]
Maybe the particularist moral thought of women is better than the impartial public thinking of men [Kymlicka]
Virtue theory can have lots of rules, as long as they are grounded in virtues and in facts [Zagzebski]
Any strict ranking of virtues or rules gets abandoned when faced with particular cases [Hursthouse]