What is "virtue ethics"

n. One of the three major approaches to normative ethics, emphasizing the role of one's character and the virtues that one's character embodies for determining or evaluating ethical behavior.

Virtue ethics (or aretaic ethics from the Greek arete) is a term that refers to normative ethical theories which emphasize virtues of mind and character. Virtue ethicists discuss the nature and definition of virtues and other related problems. For example, how are virtues acquired? How are they applied in various real life contexts? Are virtues rooted in a universal human nature or in a plurality of cultures? Virtuest can be partially met by demonstrating that Buddhist morality is a virtue-oriented, character-based, community-focused ethics, commensurate with the Western 'ethics of virtue' tradition."