"An invaluable resource for students and scholars alike, this rich and engaging volume offers fresh perspectives on a wide range of classic and contemporary issues in virtue ethics." -- Jennifer Welchman, University of Alberta "A very welcome overview of a burgeoning area, featuring a strong mix of leaders in the field and emerging authors." -- Stephen M. Gardiner, University of Washington, Seattle Virtue ethics has emerged as a distinct field within moral theory - whether as an alternative account of right action or as a conception of normativity which departs entirely from the obligatoriness of morality - and has proved itself invaluable to many aspects of contemporary applied ethics. Virtue ethics now flourishes in philosophy, sociology and theology and its applications extend to law, politics and bioethics. The Handbook of Virtue Ethics brings together leading international scholars to provide an overview of the field. Each chapter summarizes and assesses the most important work on a particular topic and sets this work in the context of historical developments. Taking a global approach by embracing a variety of major cultural traditions along with the Western, the Handbook maps the emergence of virtue ethics and provides a framework for future developments.