If you're at least a little bit familiar with Stoicism and virtue ethics - you may have already spotted a lot of commonalities between these two belief systems, which made you wonder - does a Stoic follow virtue ethics? What is the connection between these two different approaches to living a moral life?

In what follows, we will briefly look at what Stoicism posits vs what virtue ethics advocates for and expose the commonalities and differences between them. 

Stoicism and Its View on the Virtues

Stoicism teaches that life's chief goal is to pursue virtue (notice the singular!)  and live a life of moral excellence. In practice, this can be done by always remembering to focus on what is within your control and by accepting external circumstances with equanimity. Rationality and moderation are useful tools to employ in this quest and if you emerge victorious, you will be rewarded with tranquility.

Stoic ethics identifies 4 cardinal virtues which are essential for good moral conduct. They are:

• Wisdom - the ability of choosing he right course of action in any given situation,
• Courage - the capacity to face hardship with strength and determination (and to live a moral life despite challenges),
• Justice - the ability to treat others with fairness and to uphold social duties, and
• Temperance - the capacity to practice self-control and moderation by managing one's desires and emotions. 

The Virtue Ethics of Aristotle

The idea of the virtues pre-dates Stoicism and is actually attributed to Aristotle. The term 'virtue ethics' usually describes his views about what constitutes righteous moral conduct, although other ancient philosophers have influenced the development of this flavor of ethics as well. 

Virtue ethicists believe that the epitome of human expression is the exercise of the virtues, which requires the use of rationality and logic. (So far, it sounds like Stoicism, but let's not get ahead of ourselves!) They function as more than simple rules of conduct, since they represent a path to a worthwhile life.

Aristotle separates the virtues into:

• ethical virtues (virtues of character), and 
• intellectual virtues (which are closely linked to our ability to reflect on own life and actions). 

Aristotle talks about 11 ethical virtues, which include the 4 cardinal virtues we have seen previously: Courage, Temperance, Liberality, Magnificence, Magnanimity, Ambition, Patience, Truthfulness, Wittiness, Friendliness, Modesty, Righteous indignation. Wisdom and Justice are considered an intellectual virtues. 

In contrast to the Stoics, who placed equal emphasis on all 4 virtues, Aristotle talks about a kind of hierarchy of virtues. He believes that the ethical virtues are in service of the intellectual ones, and that one cannot exercise the latter properly without also practicing the former. 

Stoicism vs Virtue Ethics: Shared Aspects

I have already hinted at the most important commonalities between Stoicism and Virtue Ethics, but there are some others you should be aware of:

• Both philosophies place great importance on personal responsibility and see ethical behavior as a duty of any human. 
• They emphasize the role of reason in helping one make good decisions.
• Both schools of thought encourage their students to prioritize personal development and reflect on their actions in the world to ensure that they behave ethically.
• Both mindsets hold moral education in high esteem and highlight the importance of practical wisdom (the ability of behaving morally as a person in the world, rather than an ascetic).
• They both posit that following the virtues will lead to a happy, flourishing life (eudaimonia).

Stoicism vs Virtue Ethics: Points of Divergence

Despite their numerous similarities, Stoicism and Virtue Ethics differ in a couple of fundamental ways: 

• Their view of emotions: Stoicism encourages us to be detached from our emotions, advocating that they are the result of false judgements, while Virtue Ethics acknowledges the importance of emotions in ethical decision-making (negative emotions arise when we behave immorally, which should signal to us that we need to change course). 
• The role of externals in living a good life: Virtue Ethics recognizes the role of externals (such as health, wealth, social status etc) in living a fulfilled life, while Stoicism considers them indifferent. One reason for this distinction could be that Aristotle sees the virtues as a balance between extremes, thus encouraging us to seek that balance in all things. 
• The number and importance of the virtues themselves: aside from the 4 virtues found in Stoic thought, virtue ethics identifies a couple more, as we have seen previously. Whether some virtues are more important than others is also a point of contention between the two philosophies.

To summarize, Stoicism and virtue ethics have more in common than meets the eye. It could also be said that a Stoic practices virtue ethics, with the nuances illustrated above.

I hope you now have a better understanding of the distinct approaches that Stoicism and virtue ethics take in their pursuit of a good and fulfilling life and whichever interpretation you choose to give the virtues, you manage to align your behavior with them no matter the circumstances.

If the question of Stoicism vs virtue ethics made you curious about other commonalities and differences between Aristotelian and Stoic philosophy, you might want to read what each has to say about eudaimonia (human flourishing).

Or perhaps these posts about Stoicism vs. Humanism and Stoicism vs Kant are right up your alley?