Sure it was. My perspective would be a bit different: all human moral systems have a hefty component of manipulation and punishment. Virtue ethics does so—if anything—more than most—because punishment is often aimed at preventing reoffense (either by acting as a deterrent, or by using incarceration) - and so punishers are often unusually interested in the offending agent’s dispositions—despite the difficulty of extracting them.
I don’t think biologically realistic is the expression you were looking for.
But ethical systems can be for manipulating others, or for manipulating yourself. In the case of virtue ethics, it’s mainly for yourself.
Sure it was. My perspective would be a bit different: all human moral systems have a hefty component of manipulation and punishment. Virtue ethics does so—if anything—more than most—because punishment is often aimed at preventing reoffense (either by acting as a deterrent, or by using incarceration) - and so punishers are often unusually interested in the offending agent’s dispositions—despite the difficulty of extracting them.