Thanks for the discussion! I realize that I was mostly explaining my own instincts rather than engaging with Hursthouse, but that’s because I find her claims difficult to understand in the context of how to actually live one’s life.
She is a virtue ethicist, so she believes the best way to live a good life to develop virtues in ourselves. The reason she gives it that being a virtuous person, on average, is the best bet to flourish, e.g., having good health, satisfying career, happy family, etc. But she rejects that “impersonal benevolence” is a virtue. Thus, for Hurshouse, a person can still be virtuous and live a good life even if she does not care at all about strangers whom she has never met. To be honest, this is the most problematic part I found in her thesis.
Thanks for the discussion! I realize that I was mostly explaining my own instincts rather than engaging with Hursthouse, but that’s because I find her claims difficult to understand in the context of how to actually live one’s life.
She is a virtue ethicist, so she believes the best way to live a good life to develop virtues in ourselves. The reason she gives it that being a virtuous person, on average, is the best bet to flourish, e.g., having good health, satisfying career, happy family, etc. But she rejects that “impersonal benevolence” is a virtue. Thus, for Hurshouse, a person can still be virtuous and live a good life even if she does not care at all about strangers whom she has never met. To be honest, this is the most problematic part I found in her thesis.