Diotima: The Marist Undergraduate Philosophy Journal
of avoiding emission-generating behaviors whenever possible if there is an accessible alternative that does not compromise their virtues in other ways. Seeking to make choices in alignment with these virtues is far preferable to applying a utilitarian calculus or universal rule to specific cases because it acknowledges the diverse situations of individuals around the globe while still promoting the universal need for GHG reductions. Virtue Ethics as the Preferable Framework for Guiding Individual GHG Emissions The following section will expound why a virtue-ethical approach grounded in the virtues of justice, compassion, and responsibility is well-equipped to inform individual decisions about the morality of their individual GHG emissions. This section will also detail why a virtue-ethical approach is preferable to those grounded in utilitarianism or deontology. First, the balanced nature of virtues makes them suitable for guiding GHG-emitting actions because decisions often occur in varied contexts with competing interests. Aristotle defines virtues as “lying in a mean” between deficiency and excess. 22 A virtuous agent will act in alignment with a specific virtue at a level appropriate to what the situation demands. 23 By defining virtues as the appropriate means between excess and deficiency, a virtue-ethical approach encourages the use of context-dependent decision making. The nuance demanded by using a virtue-ethical framework helps achieve outcomes that match our intuition. For example, consider a parent living in a rural community who has been hired for work in a city with a 30-mile commute. No public transportation
22 Athanassoulis, “Virtue Ethics,” IEP . 23 Athanassoulis, “Virtue Ethics,” IEP .
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