Good habits are acquired by repetition, whether we repeat these actions mindfully or simply by inclination, just as bad habits are acquired by repeatedly behaving badly. The disposition to be good is, in effect, a habit of behaving well. They all recognize that developing a good character takes training and practice. Although philosophers have different ways of identifying virtues and characterizing the good life, virtue approaches tend to have a set of things in common. Arguably, whenever someone tells a story about an exemplary human being with the clear implication that others ought to behave like this exemplar, they are engaged in a kind of virtue ethics. The idea is that if one has the right kind of character, then one will, as a result of this, do the right things and good consequences will follow.Īs with consequentialism and deontology, we can find versions of this approach in many different cultural traditions. While acting in the right way and bringing about good consequences matter, developing a virtuous character is the central concern. Virtue ethics approaches focus on describing virtues (and vices) and explaining how to develop a virtuous character and live a good life.