Virtue Ethics and Habit Formation
What we repeatedly do becomes part of who we are.
One of the important ideas in virtue ethics is that habits shape our character. One way to view virtue ethics is through the question: what makes good character, and how do we work towards it?
You often hear words like “cultivated” or “habit-forming.” They describe how the things we repeatedly do become part of who we are.
That’s also why things can be bad even when nobody is watching. There’s something about them that feels corrupting to human nature—the concern that they’re habit-forming and reflective upon one’s character.