Adela Cortina: Ética

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In this section, Adela Cortina discusses the importance of ethics and its role in shaping human character.

The Significance of Ethics

• Adela Cortina emphasizes that ethics, derived from the word "character," plays a crucial role in shaping the character of individuals, children, communities, and organizations.

• She explains that forging one's character is essential as humans are born with a temperament but develop predispositions through life choices. These predispositions influence decisions towards acting with prudence, justice, or injustice.

• Cortina highlights that ethics focuses on character formation, which she considers the most important subject in life. Developing virtuous predispositions such as justice, fortitude, and prudence leads to an excellent character.

Interpersonal Dimension of Ethics

• The concept of virtues (or "gareth hay excelencias" in Greek) is introduced as excellent predispositions for acting justly and wisely. Cortina stresses that ethics is not solely subjective but intersubjective; ethical norms are constructed collectively through dialogue among individuals.

• Ethical decision-making is portrayed as a joint construction among people to determine what is just and good. Cortina argues that moral judgments are made collectively rather than individually, emphasizing the importance of shared values and norms in society.

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Adela Cortina delves into how ethical considerations are shaped by societal consensus and historical reflections on morality.

Collective Moral Discourse

• Cortina underscores that ethical judgments are not individual preferences but arise from collective deliberations over time. Society collectively determines what actions benefit humanity based on historical experiences regarding issues like murder, lying, theft, and corruption.