Philosophy

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://repository.ui.edu.ng/handle/123456789/289

Browse

Filters

2012 - 20142

Settings

Subject: search.filters.subject.Virtue ethics

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    THE NOTION OF PRUDENCE IN ARISTOTLE AND THE CRISIS OF LEADERSHIP IN NIGERIA
    (2012-09) WOGU, I.A.P
    Two schools of thought, the Moralist School and the Realist School, have discussed the problem of leadership. Moralists have called for an explicit recognition of the moral nature of leadership but failed to provide leaders with a consistent direction of what ethical leadership should be. Realists argue for a total autonomy of the political sphere. They fail to recognize the existence and relevance of any moral consideration in the political arena; consequently, they subordinate moral standards to those of politics. The ideological confusion arising between both schools of thought is responsible for the absence of an adequate and consistent theory of political leadership. This study, therefore, seeks to provide a theory of political leadership that will constitute a viable framework for good leadership in Nigeria. Aristotle’s notion of prudence which states that prudent judgment is a central moral resource for political leaders was adopted for this research. The study employed the method of conceptual analysis to clarify the concepts of virtue, prudence and leadership. The reconstructive method was also used to synthesize basic elements of the moralist and the realist schools of thought with Aristotle’s notion of prudence. Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, David Notions’ Democracy and Moral Development and A Politics of Virtue and Otto Gierke’s Natural Law and the Theory of Society, constitute some of the primary texts for this study. Texts and other library and archival materials used were subjected to content analysis. Bad political leadership in Nigeria has continued to be one of the root causes of crisis in the nation. This problem is generated by the lack of an acceptable and consistent theory of leadership. There is also the absence of a standard guideline and framework to guide leaders in their daily decision making processes. Moralist insists that an explicit recognition of the moral nature of leadership must be given due priority. However, this opinion failed to provide leaders with a consistent guideline of what the essence of ideal leadership should be. Realists maintain that universal moral principles cannot be applied to the actions of political leaders in their abstract universal formulation, but that they must be filtered through the concrete circumstances of time and place. This realist position creates detached and selfless leaders who allow nothing get in their way of achieving successful political actions. Leadership crisis in Nigeria arises as a result of the absence of practical prudence, which is a core virtue in Aristotle’s ethics. Prudent judgment is required to identify the salient aspects of political situations which leaders have obligations to consider before making political decisions. The guidelines prescribed by Aristotle in making prudent judgment include: Disciplined reason and openness to experience; Foresight, Deploying power; Timing and momentum; Proper relation of means and ends; Durability and legitimacy of outcomes; and Consequences for community. Aristotle’s notion of prudence, therefore, provides a consistent guideline for drastically reducing the scourge of bad leadership in Nigeria. Its practical adoption would enhance the quality of political leadership in Nigeria.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    VIRTUE ETHICS AND THE DUTY OF VERACITY IN PHYSICIAN-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP
    (2014-10) ADENUGBA, O. A.
    The duty of veracity or truth-telling, a condition in medical practice which requires that patients be told the truth at all times about their medical diagnosis has generated ethical challenges in modern medical practice. Previous studies have examined the problem of veracity using principle-based ethical theories like deontologism and teleologism. These theories, however, failed to provide a basis for resolving the dilemma of truth-telling because of the conflicting nature of the principles they articulate and their disregard for the character of the moral agent, which, actually, provides the grounding for appropriate action. This study, therefore, proposed virtue ethics as an appropriate theory that provides the basis for mediating in the dilemma of veracity in physician-patient relationship, with a view to showing the crucial role that character plays in medical decision-making. Aristotle’s theory of phronesis, which emphasises the role of practical wisdom that derives from character in decision-making, was adopted as framework. Ten relevant texts in medical and applied ethics, particularly Beauchamp and Childress’s Principle of Biomedical Ethics (PBE), Gorovitz’s Moral Problems in Medicine (MPIM) and Drane’s Becoming a Good Doctor: The Place of Virtue and Character in Medical Ethics (BGD), and four in traditional ethics, particularly Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics (NE) were purposively selected because they deal extensively with ethics and the issue of veracity in medical practice. Conceptual analysis was used to clarify key concepts like veracity, deontologism and teleologism, while critical method was adopted in examining earlier approaches to the issue of veracity and proposing virtue ethics as the basis for mediating the dilemma of truth-telling in physician-patient relationship. Most texts on medical and applied ethics revealed a consequentialist position: that a physician has an overriding moral duty to prevent harm, which supercedes the weaker obligation to tell the truth at all times (MPIM and PBE). Texts on traditional ethics revealed that the major approaches to resolving the dilemma of veracity fall under two categories: deontologism which emphasises duty and teleologism which emphasises consequences. These approaches are inadequate because of the rigid and conflicting nature of the principles they advance, and their disregard for the character of the moral agent. Critical interrogation showed that character is essential in physician’s relationship with patients as it aids the physician to apply practical wisdom when principles fail (NE and BGD). Consequently, the doctor is bound to higher ideals and virtues such as honesty, compassion, dignity and integrity, and is, therefore, able to go beyond the normal expectations of deontological and teleological principles in his relationship with patients (BGD). Virtue ethics helps in developing good character traits and habits which correspond to the higher ideals and virtues that a physician must necessarily cultivate in order to respond in a morally appropriate manner when faced with the dilemma of veracity or truth-telling. Virtue ethics promotes good character traits in persons, providing grounds for morally appropriate actions when faced with the dilemma of veracity. Therefore, virtue ethics offers a more pragmatic ethical framework for resolving the dilemma of truth-telling in physician-patient relationship.