ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of virtue ethics, including the different forms it can take, and how it differs from other normative theories. Various things can be the object of judgment, but normative theorists tend to focus on our judgments of: Actions, States of affairs, Character, Motives and intentions, and Lives. A normative theory need not include an account of all five kinds of judgment, but if it omits category it owes an explanation of why it is not considered important. Classical utilitarianism, which is a version of consequentialism developed by Jeremy Bentham and further refined by J. S. Mill, holds that happiness or pleasure is the only thing that is valuable in itself. Virtue theory, then, is a field of inquiry that concerns itself with questions about the nature and existence of virtue as well as the link between virtue and other moral concepts. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
