 Previously, we discussed consequentialism as a major approach in normative ethics. Virtue ethics is the next approach that we will cover. This brand of ethics focuses on the role of virtues and the character of a person. It has its origins in ancient Greek philosophy, in the thought of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. A key question in virtue ethics is how to mould individual character based on models of virtue, or to put it more simply, how can we become a good person? Once you strive to develop a virtuous character, this entails a much broader perspective than the other two approaches, which focus on specific ethical dilemmas that need to be solved. A virtue may be considered a character trait, but it's more than this. It's entrenched in the mindset of a person. Those are visible in the considerations one has when taking action, which is different from using, for example, the ontological rules and ethical behaviour. For example, a courageous person is one who values courage, not because they say they do, but because they take considerations regarding courage into account when thinking about what to do in a certain situation. In this sense, a courageous person tries to strike a balance between being reckless and cowardly. This is called the doctrine of the mean. Virtuous behaviour is about finding a balance between excess and deficiency, depending on the situation. Practical wisdom, which comes with life experience, helps a virtuous person while making such decisions. It helps us to reason in a good way. But why would we do this? Aristotle's answer is eudaimonia, which is difficult to translate, but is commonly described as living well, welfare, or human flourishing. The highest end of human life. Alexander McIntyre, who can be considered a contemporary virtue ethicist, also argued that virtuous behaviour applies to society as a whole. A life well lived contributes to a flourishing society. So if our characters reflect virtues, we will not only serve ourselves, it is also essential and beneficial to society as a whole. In this regard, McIntyre identifies external goods, later reformulated as goods of effectiveness, that are not specific to a practice and can be obtained in several ways. Examples of such goods are power and money. In the case of money, you can become richer by working more, by saving, or by inheritance. He also identifies internal goods, later reformulated as goods of excellence. That, I quote, you can only obtain through a particular practice, and which have as a characteristic that the achievement is a good for the whole community who participate in the practice. Each practice has an overriding end, it's telos. For example, if you want to improve the reputation of your organisation by external communication, then you need to engage in this kind of communication. If this is practiced in a good way, the organisation and its stakeholders will benefit from it. The community of practitioners of corporate communication can learn from this as well, and consequently develop their own external communication skills. A virtue, in a sense, is an acquired human quality that enables us to achieve internal goods. To put it very short, while you get socialised in your practice as a communication professional, you will practice your virtues, strive at internal goods, deliver good communication products, and thus serve a common good.