20世紀五○、六○年代之後，西方德性倫理出現了復興。其中，德性是德性倫理的中心詞，也是德性倫理與規範倫理相區別的關鍵所在。德性的第一性問題就成為德性倫理與規範倫理相爭的首要問題，而這一問題又與如何詮釋德性密切相關，圍繞著這些問題，德性倫理與規範倫理展開了各自的論證。它又引出德性的普遍性和特殊性問題、德性應用中的問題以及德性評價的問題。這些問題的存在說明，德性倫理要想真正成為與功利論和義務論相抗衡的第三支力量，還有許多問題要進一步研究。

There has been a revival of virtue ethics in the West since the 1950’s. In this kind of ethics virtue is the key word, also meaning one of important differences between virtue ethics and rule ethics. The problem of which is the first between virtue and rule could be the primary discussion between virtue ethics and rule ethics. But this problem is also associated with how to explain the concept of virtue. Thinkers give their own different answers and argument about it, and resulting in the following problems of the virtual particularity and its universality, of how to use virtue ethics in the realistic society, of how to make a value assessment, etc. These problems shows that there has been a long way to go if virtue ethics become the third real force equal with utilitarianism and deontology.