The Pitfalls of Virtue Ethics - by Husain Sarkar (Hardcover)

About the Book

This book offers a unique look into virtue ethics, exploring why this tradition is in need of repair, renewal, and reformation.

Book Synopsis

In this book, Husain Sarkar offers a remarkable look into the groundwork of virtue ethics.

Especially focusing on theories proposed by Julia Annas and Rosalind Hursthouse, he examines a multiplicity of cardinal tenets of virtue ethics by bringing five cardinal objections - namely, the self-defeating objection, the circularity objection, the moral relativism objection, the explanatory poverty objection, and the inconsistent advice objection - to bear upon them. These objections define the shape, scope, and substance of the book. Collectively, they unveil several fault lines, a few hitherto unsuspected. Sarkar argues that notwithstanding the novel, intriguing answers to old, familiar ethical questions, the answers are so fraught with difficulties, that virtue ethics - as a philosophical moral tradition - is best seen as badly in need of repair and reformation. Perhaps, this book may provoke a Renaissance in the field of virtue ethics.

Review Quotes

The Pitfalls of Virtue Ethics argues that virtue ethics is 'inherently' flawed and that its aims are 'vitiated by its own norms, principles, or standards.' Husain Sarkar makes his case with care and nuance, focusing on the work of the two doyens of virtue ethics, Julian Annas and Rosalind Hursthouse.

In The Pitfalls of Virtue Ethics, Husain Sarkar offers a thoughtful critique of virtue ethics, questioning whether it can achieve what he views as the central aim of moral philosophy: providing a satisfactory account of right action. By focusing on five key objections, the author argues that virtue ethics is not a viable alternative to deontology. Sarkar's use of fiction and his clear, engaging writing style make the work accessible to a non-specialist audience. A valuable contribution to the field.

About the Author

Husain Sarkar is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Louisiana State University, USA. His first book, A Theory of Method (1983), presented a new problem in philosophy of science called the problem of group rationality. His other books include The Toils of Understanding: An Essay on "The Present Age" (2000), Descartes' Cogito: Saved from the Great Shipwreck (2003), Group Rationality in Scientific Research (2007) and Kant and Parfit: The Groundwork of Morals (2018).