Why helping the victims of disasters makes me a better person: Towards an anthropological theory of humanitarian action

Human Affairs 26 (1):26-33 (2016)
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Abstract

In this paper I examine which is the most appropriate moral theory for dealing with disaster bioethics contexts. It is pointed out that, contrary to what is usually believed, moral theories of right action cannot actually guide us in such difficult situations. Instead, it is claimed that a virtue ethics theory of an Aristotelian version, which gives emphasis not only on the virtuous person but also on the relevant developmental process of becoming virtuous, can provide us with the right theoretical framework for coping with the problems which the victims of such disastrous situations face.

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Eleni Kalokairinou
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Citations of this work

Kantian Virtue Ethics Approaches.Eleni Kalokairinou - 2018 - In Dónal P. O’Mathúna, Vilius Dranseika & Bert Gordijn, Disasters: Core Concepts and Ethical Theories. Cham: Springer Verlag. pp. 217-227.

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References found in this work

The language of morals.Richard Mervyn Hare - 1972 - Oxford,: Clarendon Press.
The Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle - 1951 - Revue Philosophique de la France Et de l'Etranger 143:477-478.
Prescriptive Language.R. M. Hare - 1963 - In The Language of Morals. Oxford, GB: Oxford University Press.
Being Virtuous and Doing the Right Thing.Julia Annas - 2003 - Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association 78 (2):61-75.

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