Making a Necessity of Virtue: Aristotle and Kant on Virtue

by Nancy Sherman

Recent moral philosophy has seen a revival of interest in the concept of virtue, and with it a reassessment of the role of virtue in the work of Aristotle and Kant. This book brings that reassessment to a new level of sophistication. Nancy Sherman argues that Kant preserves a notion of virtue in his moral theory that bears recognizable traces of the Aristotelian and Stoic traditions, and that his complex anthropology of morals brings him into surprising alliance with Aristotle. She develops her argument through close readings of major texts by both Aristotle and Kant, illustrating points of congruence and contrast.

Genres: Philosophy

408 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 1997

About the author

My introduction to the psyche of the soldier, in a sense, goes back to my father and my childhood. My dad was a WW II vet who never talked about “his” war, though he carried his dogtags on his keychain for 65 years. The war never left him; he took it to the grave; and he always felt that his burden was private. I suspect I always felt that the burden ought to be shared, or at least, that I ought to understand it better.

The chance came when I was appointed the first Distinguished Chair in Ethics at the U.S. Naval Academy in the mid-nineties. I had been an academic in ethics for most of my career, focused on ethics and the emotions, in ancient and modern philosophy. I also had a background and research training in psychoanalysis. For the first time in my life I became a civilian in a military world, and I began to understand better the secret world of my dad. I started teaching and writing about the moral challenges of going to war and returning home, and have been immersed in that research ever since. The issues couldn’t be more urgent for a nation now fighting wars on two fronts for almost a decade.

The Untold War is my best effort at allowing soldiers to open up their hearts and tell their stories. I have listened to those stories with the ear of a philosopher and psychoanalyst, but also with the ear of a daughter, who always felt that she needed to understand more about what her father went through. And I have analyzed those stories in language that steps outside the academy—in terms my dad would have understood. I talk about the visible and invisible wounds of war; posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and resilience; military suicide and its prevention; military honor, guilt, and shame. Military families need to know that we who do not have loved ones serving are doing our best to understand and help those who do.

Officially, I am a distinguished University Professor in Philosophy at Georgetown and an affiliate at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics. I also teach some semesters at Georgetown University Law Center. I taught at Yale for seven years before coming to Georgetown.

I spend much of my free time outside. I run most days, swim in an outdoor pool a few times a week, and hike and bike on occasion. Here I take lessons from my grown children: My daughter Kala was a competitive swimmer at Dartmouth, and my son Jonathan has cycled across the country for Habitat for Humanity with a Yale group; he also led cycling tours in Europe. But as my daughter once said to me, “Mom, you’re athletic, but no athlete!” As a family, we love to hike-- in the Northeast, the Rockies, the Lake District in England, and in years past, Corsica. But our local Billy Goat trail, on the Potomac, is also a favorite. I adore dancing—modern dance – something I have been doing since college. Come summer, I turn into an obsessive gardener and on a not-too-buggy D.C. day, I like nothing more than losing myself in the mud. Cooking is also a serious family business. My husband Marshall, also known as “chef Marcel,” is a remarkably good cook.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been a long time since I read this, but this is an excellent read. Sherman compares Kant and Aristotle, showing the closeness of their ethical thinking. She argues that Kant is heavily influenced by the stoic ethics and their relationship to Aristotle's virtue ethic. As she points out at the end, a comparison between these two thinkers provides clearer insight into both of their approaches.

[Michelle L · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy to read book that has astounding analysis of Aristotle's virtue ethics. The analysis of Kant is not as strong, but still worth a thorough read.

[Regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you would like a sympathetic interpretation of Kantian friendship, this is your book.