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23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 2. Elements of Virtue Theory / c. Motivation for virtue

[why people might want to be virtuous]

44 ideas
To gain in goodness, treat as good those who are good, and those who are not [Laozi (Lao Tzu)]
A good man cannot be harmed, either in life or in death [Socrates]
Should we avoid evil because it will bring us bad consequences? [Plato]
Virtue is a concord of reason and emotion, with pleasure and pain trained to correct ends [Plato]
A serious desire for moral excellence is very rare indeed [Plato]
Every crime is the result of excessive self-love [Plato]
The only worthwhile life is one devoted to physical and moral perfection [Plato]
Reason impels us towards excellence, which teaches us self-control [Plato]
For Plato, virtue is its own reward [Lawson-Tancred on Plato]
The only slavery which is not dishonourable is slavery to excellence [Plato]
The first step on the right path is the contemplation of physical beauty when young [Plato]
The end of virtue is what is right and honourable or fine [Aristotle]
A person is good if they act from choice, and for the sake of the actions in themselves [Aristotle]
Existence is desirable if one is conscious of one's own goodness [Aristotle]
Virtuous people are like the citizens of the best city [Aristotle]
People become good because of nature, habit and reason [Aristotle]
We choose virtue because of pleasure, not for its own sake [Epicurus, by Diog. Laertius]
Be virtuous from duty, not from fear [Democritus (attr)]
Virtue doesn't just avoid evil, but also doesn't desire it [Democritus (attr)]
A bad life is just a drawn-out death [Democritus (attr)]
Virtues must be very detached, to avoid being motivated by pleasure [Cicero]
Except ye become as little children, ye shall not enter heaven [Jesus]
I seek virtue, because it is its own reward [Seneca]
If someone harms themselves in harming me, then I harm myself by returning the harm [Epictetus]
Civil virtues make us behave benevolently, and thereby unite citizens [Porphyry]
Civil virtues control the passions, and make us conform to our nature [Porphyry]
Purificatory virtues detach the soul completely from the passions [Porphyry]
Virtue inspires Stoics, but I want a good temperament [Montaigne]
Virtues are a means to peaceful, sociable and comfortable living [Hobbes]
Virtue doesn't go far without the support of vanity [Rochefoucauld]
All virtues benefit either the public, or the individual who possesses them [Hume]
We are obliged to show the social virtues, but at least they make a virtuous disposition fashionable [Kant]
Moral law is holy, and the best we can do is achieve virtue through respect for the law [Kant]
Virtues only have value because they achieve some further end [Mill]
The 'good' man does the moral thing as if by nature, easily and gladly, after a long inheritance [Nietzsche]
We would avoid a person who always needed reasons for remaining decent [Nietzsche]
Virtue is pursued from self-interest and prudence, and reduces people to non-entities [Nietzsche]
One can be virtuous through a whim [Camus]
Virtues can have aims, but good states of affairs are not among them [Foot]
A crucial feature of moral thought is second-order desire - the desire to have certain desires [Williams,B]
Ancient ethics uses attractive notions, not imperatives [Annas]
Virtuous people may not be fully clear about their reasons for action [Hursthouse]
Performing an act simply because it is virtuous is sufficient to be 'morally motivated' or 'dutiful' [Hursthouse]
If moral motivation is an all-or-nothing sense of duty, how can children act morally? [Hursthouse]