An Ancient Antidote for Dogmatic Ideology and Intransigent Political Divisiveness

Abstract This article explores Aristotelian virtue ethics, which it asserts is an effective moderating tool when applied in parallel with our more popular political ideologies as a mitigating strategy against political divisiveness. Using political polarization in the United States as an example, the following key points are developed. For practical reasons, political discourse outside of academia is motivated by rough-hewn ideologies, not comprehensive moral doctrines. Despite their social value, overly dogmatic application of our most popular political ideologies leads to morally troubling recommendations evidencing their limited range of ethical applicability and fueling tribal divisiveness. A proposed mitigating strategy is offered: embracing virtue ethics as a moderating ideology to work in parallel with other, more popular, ideologies rather than replacing them; encouraging treatment of ideologies as useful pluralistic heuristic tools rather than comprehensive moral doctrines mandating singular commitment; and acknowledging limitations of virtue ethics and providing strategies to guide its application.