Relationships Between Virtues, Values and Moral Concepts

Relationships between virtues, values, and moral concepts

To understand, virtue, ethics, and morality we must first understanding there meanings. "morality and ethics are interchangeable; however, they have some subtle differences."

Webster's Dictionary describes ethics as the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation; a set or moral principles. Webster's Dictionary describes moral as of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior; expressing or teaching a conception of right behavior; conforming to a standard of right behavior; sanctioned by or operative on one's conscience or ethical judgment. Webster's Dictionary describes virtue as conformity to a standard of right. Aristotle's' definition of virtue, which I prefer, "virtue is as character trait that manifests itself in habitual action".

I hate to do this but just recently a work always call to the library by another officer wants once there a inmate was standing in front of his desk. The officer pulled up the inmate on the computer and shows me what he was in jail for which was having sex with a minor under the age of 12. Then he opened the folder where he had pictures of young girls under the age of 12 cheerleaders', models. He also had pictures of naked women with their heads cut off and pitches a little girls under the age of 12 tape next to them or on the body. Of course, this was very sickening to me. It made me real queasy in the stomach. The inmate get week at the legs and could not stand up. Because he knew he was wrong and was about to get in trouble. It took everything within me not to say or do anything that was out of the way for the library was full of inmates and they all were looking at me to see what I was going to do so I just calmly told him he could turn around and put handcuffs on him. I also called another officer up to the library to escort him to segregation. I had the library officer confiscate his materials for evidence. I had him to write a contraband ticket and incident report. It would have been hard for me not to say or do something to this guy. Since I was at work, I had to show that I have good virtues, not just in front of the inmates, but in front of my fellow officers and my subordinates.

(Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue) Buddha

Reference

Laird, C. (2000). Webster dictionary (4th ed.). Cleveland, OH: Wiley publishing Incorporated.

(Boylan.M.(2009).basic ethics; basic ethics in action(2nd ed.).