The critique of deontological and utilitarian abstractions (
as evidenced in the categorical imperative or in the exhortation to maximize happiness) offered by
virtue ethicists is enhanced by Hartshorne's own critique of metaphysical abstractions.
Christian
ethicists usually have no great difficulty in admiring and even recommending these
virtues, also in cases where they do not fully or even partially endorse the theological and philosophical presuppositions of people who evince them (such
as, for instance, Latin American Pentecostals, Muslim fundamentalists, or neo-Confucian businessmen).