There is a
fundamental difference between these two
conceptions of autonomy. While neo-liberals
have argued that the citizen needs training in
order to secure a job in the labor market,
virtue ethics argues that a person requires education in order to become an individual.
The politics of virtue has a thick rather than
thin view of the citizen of a nation, namely
of the citizen as a complex, educated and
vibrant member of a society. There is
therefore an important connection between
virtuous citizens and effective and living
institutions; this connection is through the
dual operation of virtue and obligation. An
autonomous citizen will want to be an active
and involved participant in a community.