I think it’s a mischaracterisation to think of virtue ethics in terms of choosing the most virtuous actions (in fact, one common objection to virtue ethics is that it doesn’t help very much in choosing actions). I think virtue ethics is probably more about being the most virtuous, and making decisions for virtuous reasons. There’s a difference: e.g. you’re probably not virtuous if you choose normally-virtuous actions for the wrong reasons.
For similar reasons, I disagree with cole_haus that virtue ethicists choose actions to produce the most virtuous outcomes (although there is at least one school of virtue ethics which seems vaguely consequentialist, the eudaimonists. See https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-virtue). Note however that I haven’t actually looked into virtue ethics in much detail.
Edit: contractarianism is a fourth approach which doesn’t fit neatly into either division
I think it’s a mischaracterisation to think of virtue ethics in terms of choosing the most virtuous actions (in fact, one common objection to virtue ethics is that it doesn’t help very much in choosing actions). I think virtue ethics is probably more about being the most virtuous, and making decisions for virtuous reasons. There’s a difference: e.g. you’re probably not virtuous if you choose normally-virtuous actions for the wrong reasons.
For similar reasons, I disagree with cole_haus that virtue ethicists choose actions to produce the most virtuous outcomes (although there is at least one school of virtue ethics which seems vaguely consequentialist, the eudaimonists. See https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-virtue). Note however that I haven’t actually looked into virtue ethics in much detail.
Edit: contractarianism is a fourth approach which doesn’t fit neatly into either division