LANCE ARMSTRONG AND THE SCARLET C. Issue 36 (17th December 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Belk, Alan
• Is Part Of: Think. Volume 13:Issue 36(2014)
• Page Start: 49
• Page End: 60
• Publication Date: 2013-12-17
• Subjects: Philosophy -- Periodicals; 105
• DOI: 10.1017/S1477175613000389
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1477-1756

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="normal"> <title> <x content-type="archive" xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>Cyclist Lance Armstrong cheated his way to seven Tour de France 'victories'. Such cheating is wrong because it harms society. To explain how that harm affects all of us, I use Aristotle's ideas of virtue ethics to argue that Armstrong, despite his charitable work, is not a virtuous person. Virtue is to some extent determined by society, so we need to be clear that Armstrong is not a person to emulate. A society which does not clearly disapprove of vice is less than it might otherwise be because a good society is one that encourages virtue in its citizens.</p> </abstract>