arvoetiikka

Arvoetiikka, also known as virtue ethics, is a major approach in normative ethics that emphasizes the character of the moral agent rather than on the morality of specific actions or their consequences. Instead of asking "What should I do?", virtue ethics asks "What kind of person should I be?". It focuses on cultivating good character traits, or virtues, which are seen as dispositions to act in certain ways.

Key to arvoetiikka is the concept of *aretē*, a Greek term often translated as virtue or excellence. Virtues are considered to be stable character traits that enable a person to live a good and fulfilling life, often referred to as *eudaimonia*. Examples of commonly discussed virtues include courage, honesty, justice, temperance, and wisdom. These virtues are not simply learned rules but are developed through habituation and practice.

Arvoetiikka suggests that by cultivating these virtues, individuals will naturally tend to make good moral decisions. The right action is then understood as the action that a virtuous person would perform in a given situation. This approach often looks to role models and the examination of exemplary lives to understand what constitutes virtue. Unlike deontology, which focuses on duties and rules, or consequentialism, which judges actions by their outcomes, arvoetiikka places the moral agent and their internal disposition at the center of ethical inquiry.