dygðahyggja

Dygðahyggja, a term originating from Icelandic, translates to virtue ethics. It is a broad philosophical approach to ethics that emphasizes the role of character and virtue in moral reasoning, rather than focusing on duties or consequences. In virtue ethics, the question is not so much "What should I do?" but rather "What kind of person should I be?"

The central tenet of dygðahyggja is that moral goodness is a matter of possessing and exercising good character traits, or virtues. These virtues are understood as dispositions to act, think, and feel in certain admirable ways. Examples of virtues commonly discussed in this tradition include courage, justice, temperance, wisdom, honesty, and kindness. The development and cultivation of these virtues are seen as essential for living a good and flourishing life, often referred to as eudaimonia.

Dygðahyggja traces its roots back to ancient Greek philosophy, with figures like Aristotle being particularly influential. Aristotle, in his Nicomachean Ethics, argued that virtue is a mean between two extremes of deficiency and excess. For instance, courage is the mean between cowardice and recklessness. While modern virtue ethics has evolved and incorporated diverse perspectives, the core focus on character development and the pursuit of virtuous living remains central. It offers an alternative framework to deontological ethics (duty-based) and consequentialism (outcome-based) by prioritizing the moral agent's character.