TFL Vsebine / Revija Revus

Etika vrlin si v zadnjih nekaj desetletjih skuša izboriti enakopravno mesto poleg deontologije in utilitarizma, dveh osrednjih filozofskih moralnih teorij. Rosalind Hursthouse, ena najvidnejših predstavnic etike vrlin, zagovarja tezo, da lahko ta teorija usmerja in vrednoti posameznikovo ravnanje prav tako zanesljivo in dosledno kot njeni tekmici. Še več, Hursthousova trdi, da lahko etika vrlin nudi napotke za etično ravnanje celo v situacijah, ki jim ostale moralne teorije niso kos; to naj bi bilo očitno predvsem v primerih mučnih moralnih dilem, torej dilem, kjer mora posameznik izbrati med dvema ali več moralno spornimi dejanji. Hursthousova obravnava nekaj primerov mučnih moralnih dilem, med katerimi se najbolj posveti odločitvam v zvezi s prekinitvijo nosečnosti. Namen tega članka je kritična analiza dejanske zmožnosti etike vrlin pri usmerjanju ravnanja v takšnih situacijah.

The claim that virtue ethics is in an inferior position when compared to other leading normative moral theories is still widespread, and the main charge against the theory is that it cannot provide reliable action guidance. In her book On Virtue Ethics, Rosalind Hursthouse provides an account of the right action according to virtue ethics, and argues that it fares no worse than deontology and utilitarianism regarding action guidance. She further specifies how virtue ethics deals with moral dilemmas, and draws a distinction between resolvable and irresolvable dilemmas. She further presents us with the concept of distressing moral dilemmas, where the agent has to choose between two morally problematic actions. Hursthouse argues that distressing moral dilemmas can only be resolved if the agent’s right action (the one that’s less morally problematic than the alternatives) is also accompanied by appropriate moral remainder – that is, appropriate feelings of regret, guilt, a painful examination of options, and an awareness of the moral evil that can be produced even by performing the correct action in the given circumstances.