How would someone using Virtue Ethics handle a legal but questionable order?

How would someone using Virtue Ethics handle a legal but questionable order?

• A. They would seek loopholes
• B. They would delegate to subordinates
• C. They would consider character, integrity, and doing what a good person should do.
• D. They would follow orders if legal

Answer: (C)

Virtue Ethics centers on the actor’s character and what a virtuous person would do in a given situation. When faced with a legal but questionable order, a person guided by virtue asks whether carrying out the order would express true qualities like honesty, justice, courage, and benevolence. They consider what a good person with integrity would do, even if that means not simply following the letter of the law or deferring to authority. They weigh whether acting in this way would cultivate virtue or enable vice, and they may seek guidance, raise concerns, or refuse the order if it conflicts with moral duties. In short, the right course is grounded in doing what a good person should do, not merely following legality or deferring to others. That emphasis on character and integrity is what makes this approach the best fit for handling a questionable order.

Virtue Ethics centers on the actor’s character and what a virtuous person would do in a given situation. When faced with a legal but questionable order, a person guided by virtue asks whether carrying out the order would express true qualities like honesty, justice, courage, and benevolence. They consider what a good person with integrity would do, even if that means not simply following the letter of the law or deferring to authority. They weigh whether acting in this way would cultivate virtue or enable vice, and they may seek guidance, raise concerns, or refuse the order if it conflicts with moral duties. In short, the right course is grounded in doing what a good person should do, not merely following legality or deferring to others. That emphasis on character and integrity is what makes this approach the best fit for handling a questionable order.