Philosophy

1. Virtue theorists place emphasis on moral behavior as the yardstick for ethical behavior. They posit that by developing moral characteristics, a person behavior becomes virtuous. Aristotle identified nine virtuous characteristics which included wisdom, justice, temperance, courage, fortitude, prudence, liberality, magnificence, magnanimity. In contemporary society, virtuous behavior is that which people admire and that does not go against universally accepted moral norms. These include accountability, honesty, prudence, generosity and resilience.

With wisdom, a rational person will be able to discern those actions that constitute correct behavior and those that do not. Virtue theorists argue that a temperate person will avoid making hasty decisions which they would later regret. Instead, temperance will make them think through the problem in a sober manner and arrive at a prudent conclusion. Justice embodies the very fabric of an ideal society and a just person will deal with fairly with fellow men. This will contribute to harmony among citizens of a state.

2.   All human beings were created equal and are fully responsible for their actions under normative moral ethics. Creating a special class of ethics for either gender will tend to dilute the moral or judge one gender more harshly. Promiscuity among women is frowned upon and those engaged in the practice are labeled as prostitutes. However, men who seek sexual favors from such women are secretly lauded as studs or being sexually active. Women tend to gossip a lot, which in most cases, leads to disagreements and conflicts. Society has more or less accepted this female trait but criticizes men who spend hours gossiping.

It is womanly for a female to be irrational and emotional in her actions while the same is unmanly.  This distinction allows women to get away with actions that defy logic and border on criminality. A jilted girl may burn her ex-lovers possessions and claim temporary insanity while the same action may land a man in jail for malicious destruction of property. Both sexes should be judged by the same standards to achieve gender parity with respect to morality.