It's one thing to have a moral deliberation roadmap and something else entirely to follow it consistently--especially in a high-stress, crisis situation when the stakes are significant, the threats deadly, and the cost of failure catastrophic. We may know the right thing to do and even want to do it, but our passions--those bodily appetites and emotions that accompany the presence or prospect of pleasure or pain--sometimes work against our reason. The morally excellent person is someone able to withstand these temptations, a person of deep moral integrity whose actions consistently match what what they know to be the right thing to do. 

This block is an examination of what it means to be virtuous--to have a character defined by moral excellence. The ancient Greeks believed having virtue was the only way to be truly happy, to flourish. The  study of virtue--especially those virtuous critical to military leadership--is essential because ultimately, only a virtuous human being has any real chance of enduring through combat with their courage, honor, and integrity intact. That's to say, we can study just war, but, at the end of the day, only just warriors will consistently fight just wares. 

At the successful completion of this block, you will able to: 

A. Apply the four moral factors in making ethical decisions (II)
B. Evaluate how character is formed through habituation and moral choice (III)
C. Evaluate the connections between virtues, moral perceptions, choices, and emotions (III)
D. Evaluate which character traits are needed for the development of military officers (III, IV)
E. Evaluate the influence of character on military leadership (III, IV)
F. Evaluate the role that the limits of morality may play in morality (II, III, IV)
G. Evaluate the ethical significance of military customs, courtesies and rituals (I, II, III, IV)

READ THIS

Aristotle: The Moral Virtues

Aristotle: Habit and Virtue 

WATCH THIS

Character and the Moral Deliberation Road Map - Dr Marcus Hedahl

Think about these things prior to class:

1. How would you describe the influence of character on moral deliberation?
2. Analyze the connections between Aristotle's concept of virtue (arete) and happiness (eudaimonia)
3. Analyze Aristotle's relationship between virtue and vice and explain how to aim for excellence
4. Distinguish between the concepts of vice, weak-will, strong-will, and virtue
5. Reflect upon your personal experience and how it might be applied to your future role as a Naval Officer in light of the reflections above