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Virtue, by definition, is the moral excellence of a person. Morally excellent people have a character made-up of virtues valued as good. They are honest, respectful, courageous, forgiving, and kind, for example.

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What are virtues?

What are Virtues? - Virtues For Life You are here: Home / What are Virtues? What are Virtues? Kindness. Honesty. Service. Virtues are the essence of our character and when we keep the practice of virtues at the heart of everyday life, we live with purpose. Virtue, by definition, is the moral excellence of a person.

Do the four virtues provide a basis for character?

Other philosophers have argued that the four virtues provide the basis for all aspects of moral character. Aristotle, a student of Plato, expanded the concept by including additional virtues, as did Christian theologians.

What are the virtues of a good life?

Gentleness. Flexibility. Adaptability. Developing these virtues is a life-long process. We’ll probably never be perfect at them. But the more we cultivate them, the better our life becomes. And, chances are, simply reading about these virtues has already enlivened them in you.

What is a virtue?

Rather, a virtue is a personal asset, a shield to protect us from difficulty, trouble, and suffering. Each virtue is a special sort of “power” that enables us to experience a level of well-being that we wouldn’t be able to access otherwise. Indeed, “virtue”comes from the latin virtus (force, worth, power).

What is virtue in a character?

What is a Virtue. A virtue is a positive character trait that is consider a foundation for living well, and a key ingredient to greatness. For some, the word “virtue” may have a bit of a Victorian puritanism associated with it. This is not my understanding of it, nor is this the spirit of this article.

What are some examples of virtues?

Here are some other examples of virtues that are incomplete (and potentially harmful) in isolation: 1 Tranquility without joy and energy is stale; 2 Detachment and equanimity without love can be cold; 3 Trust without wisdom can be blind; 4 Morality without humility can be self-righteous; 5 Love without wisdom can cause harm to oneself; 6 Focus and courage without love and wisdom is just blind power.

What are some examples of virtues that are incomplete (and potentially harmful) in isolation?

Here are some other examples of virtues that are incomplete (and potentially harmful) in isolation: Tranquility without joy and energy is stale; Detachment and equanimity without love can be cold; Trust without wisdom can be blind;

What is the social virtue of kindness?

Kindness and related virtues (love, compassion, consideration) is the core “social virtue”. It invites us to expand our sense of well-being to include others as well. It gives us the ability to put ourselves in another person’s shoes, and feel what they feel as if it is happening to us, and if appropriate do something about it. The result is the experience of the “helper’s high”, a mix of dopamine and oxytocin.

How to cultivate virtues?

One simple way of cultivating these virtues is to focus on a single virtue each week (or month), and look daily for opportunities to put that chosen quality into practice. Keep asking yourself throughout the day, “What does it mean to be [virtue]?”

What is the mutual entailment of virtues called?

In Stoicism, it is called anacoluthia, the mutual entailment of virtues. The point is: we need to focus on our strengths, but we also need to pay attention to the virtues we lack the most. Any development in these areas, however small, has the potential to be life changing. I go deeper into this topic here.

What is the most important virtue?

1 Wisdom. Wisdom, or prudence, is the capacity to make sensible decisions and judgments based on personal knowledge or experience. It is the ability to recognize, differentiate and choose between right and wrong. It is deemed the most essential of the four virtues.

What are the four virtues?

Now known as the four cardinal virtues, they are wisdom, courage, moderation and justice. He wrote about these virtues in the "Republic," a Socratic dialogue on political theory. Other philosophers have argued that the four virtues provide the basis for all aspects of moral character. Aristotle, a student of Plato, expanded the concept by including additional virtues, as did Christian theologians.

What is the virtue of temperance?

Moderation , or temperance, is the quality of practicing self-restraint and self-control. Plato thought that controlling the appetite, instead of being driven by reckless desires, was an indispensable virtue. He wrote another Socratic dialogue, Charmides, on the virtue of temperance. Since the time of Plato, temperance has been associated with abstinence and sobriety.

What is courage in Greek?

Courage, or fortitude , is the ability to confront fear, intimidation, danger, difficulty and uncertainty. It is the ability to face a challenge without cowardice. In ancient Greece, courage was regarded as a military virtue, a character trait of soldiers waging war on the battlefield. Both Plato and Aristotle held military excellence in the utmost regard. The soldier was the Greek model for courage and heroism.

What are the four cardinal virtues?

Now known as the four cardinal virtues, they are wisdom, courage, moderation and justice. He wrote about these virtues in the "Republic," a Socratic dialogue on political theory. Other philosophers have argued that the four virtues provide the basis for all aspects of moral character. Aristotle, a student of Plato, ...

What is the bond that unites the other three virtues?

The bond that unites the other three virtues is justice . Justice is the quality of being fair and reasonable, particularly in how decisions are made and the way people are treated. Plato believed that a person would become just after having achieved the other three virtues. He emphasized the interconnectedness of the four virtues, stating that the human soul is perfect when all of those parts are present and functioning. He believed that society is ordered through justice , but this can be attained only when the human soul is well ordered. According to Plato, only just people can create a just society.

Who believed in wisdom?

Plato considered wisdom the virtue of reason and believed that being truly virtuous is possible only when one acts on reason. In ancient Greek philosophy, wisdom is regarded as the virtue of rulers, since it enables rulers to take advice and then act prudently, based on their own reason.

What are the virtues of a person?

Service. Virtues are the essence of our character and when we keep the practice of virtues at the heart of everyday life, we live with purpose. Virtue, by definition, is the moral excellence of a person. Morally excellent people have a character made-up of virtues valued as good.

Why are virtues important?

Virtues are universal and recognized by all cultures as basic qualities of well-being. When we practice virtues and build our “character muscle,” we attract what may have been missing in our life such as fulfilling relationships and achievement of meaningful goals. But it’s not easy. So often we know that it takes perseverance to reach our goals, and we still never get there. We know if we forgive, we’ll be less angry and resentful. We know it takes courage to accomplish great things. So why then, if we know what to do, are we still stuck? Because we have not yet consciously and boldly applied a virtue to a given situation so as to alter its outcome such as in these examples:

Why is it important to practice virtues?

Practicing virtues allows us to develop our potential, and live a more purposeful, better life; a life not ordinary but extraordinary.

Why do we become more virtuous?

We know we are becoming more virtuous people, not only because of the results above but also because of the way other people respond to us. Our friends, families, co-workers, and neighbors will trust and rely on us. They will come to us for guidance and help. They will want to be around us because we inspire them to be better people. People will know us as someone with an exceptional character who makes the right choices and strives for excellence in all we do. Can life be lived any better?

What makes a person morally excellent?

Morally excellent people have a character made-up of virtues valued as good. They are honest, respectful, courageous, forgiving, and kind, for example. They do the right thing, and don’t bend to impulses, urges or desires, but act according to values and principles.

What is the virtue of courage?

In the Christian sense, fortitude is the virtue that allows us to overcome our fears and continue in our Christian tasks . For instance, the 12 Apostles before Pentecost were hiding in fear of the Jews. After Pentecost, the Apostles boldly spoke out and were imprisoned for their outspoken beliefs in Christ. So here we see that fortitude is not only an acquired virtue, but it is also one of the 4 Cardinal virtues that the Holy Spirit can give us, as well.

What are the three virtues of the Bible?

They are also called supernatural virtues. They are as follows:

What is the internal virtue that helps us to control our love of eating and drinking and sex?

Temperance is the internal virtue that helps us to control our love of eating and drinking and sex. Whereas the virtue of fortitude helps us to keep going in the midst of adversity, temperance , on the other hand, helps us to stop in the midst of pleasure.

What are the three virtues of the Catholic Church?

The first category is known as the Cardinal Virtues , the second is known as the Theological Virtues , and the third is the Capital Virtues.

What are supernatural virtues?

They are as follows: Faith - The theological virtue that is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” our firm belief in God and all that He has revealed to us through Holy Mother Church.

Why is prudence considered a cardinal virtue?

Prudence: St. Thomas Aquinas once said that prudence was the primary cardinal virtue, because it is concerned with the intellect. Prudence is basically the ability to distinguish what is good and bad in any given situation, and to take appropriate action. For instance, if you are in a big hurry on the freeway, and you know that you are in an area closely monitored by the police for speeding, it would not be prudent to go faster than the speed limit.

How do we know if we have true faith?

One of the ways we know we have true faith is if we are very afraid of offending God in anything, and are very anxious to please Him in everything. Hope - The theological virtue that allows us to totally trust in Jesus and to desire eternal bliss in heaven with him, forever.

What are the two types of virtues?

According to Aristotle, there are two types of virtues: moral and intellectual virtues.

How many virtues are there?

There are nine intellectual virtues, five of which are primary virtues and four secondary virtues.

What is the ultimate aim of Aristotle?

Aristotle believed that the final aim is the good; not only the good for oneself but the good for all humanity.

What is the finished form of virtues?

Wisdom (Sophia), this is the finished form of all the virtues, one must have lived to a good age, experienced many things and learned a number of lessons before wisdom is cultivated.

What distinguishes humans from the rest of creation?

Firstly, the one thing that distinguished human beings from the rest of creation is the faculty of reason. Only humans have the capacity to use reason in order to think about the quality of their lives. For Aristotle, happiness must consist in using that reason in order to work out what a good life is, and then live it. The second point is that a person is primarily a member of a group. There is no such thing as a purely free-thinking individual. Our individuality is already partly decided for us by the group of which we are a part. Therefore, the overall wellbeing of a group is more important than the wellbeing of any single member within it.

Who believed that happiness is an activity of the soul?

Aristotle believed that has man goodness not of the body but of the soul, and happiness is defined as an activity of the soul.

Who is Aristotle's philosophy?

Aristotle (384BC-322BC) was a Greek philosopher. He put forward the ethical theory that is known as virtue ethics. It is an agent centred ethical theory.

What is a virtue?

1.1 Virtue. A virtue is an excellent trait of character. It is a disposition, well entrenched in its possessor—something that, as we say, goes all the way down, unlike a habit such as being a tea-drinker—to notice, expect, value, feel, desire, choose, act, and react in certain characteristic ways.

What are some examples of virtues?

These are commonly accepted truisms. But it is equally common, in relation to particular (putative) examples of virtues to give these truisms up. We may say of someone that he is generous or honest “to a fault”. It is commonly asserted that someone’s compassion might lead them to act wrongly, to tell a lie they should not have told, for example, in their desire to prevent someone else’s hurt feelings. It is also said that courage, in a desperado, enables him to do far more wicked things than he would have been able to do if he were timid. So it would appear that generosity, honesty, compassion and courage despite being virtues, are sometimes faults. Someone who is generous, honest, compassionate, and courageous might not be a morally good person—or, if it is still held to be a truism that they are, then morally good people may be led by what makes them morally good to act wrongly! How have we arrived at such an odd conclusion?

What are the different forms of virtue ethics?

In what follows we sketch four distinct forms taken by contemporary virtue ethics, namely, a) eudaimonist virtue ethics, b) agent-based and exemplarist virtue ethics , c) target-centered virtue ethics , and d) Platonistic virtue ethics.

What does honesty reflect?

An honest person’s reasons and choices with respect to honest and dishonest actions reflect her views about honesty, truth, and deception —but of course such views manifest themselves with respect to other actions, and to emotional reactions as well. Valuing honesty as she does, she chooses, where possible to work with honest people, to have honest friends, to bring up her children to be honest. She disapproves of, dislikes, deplores dishonesty, is not amused by certain tales of chicanery, despises or pities those who succeed through deception rather than thinking they have been clever, is unsurprised, or pleased (as appropriate) when honesty triumphs, is shocked or distressed when those near and dear to her do what is dishonest and so on. Given that a virtue is such a multi-track disposition, it would obviously be reckless to attribute one to an agent on the basis of a single observed action or even a series of similar actions, especially if you don’t know the agent’s reasons for doing as she did (Sreenivasan 2002).

What are the two concepts that are central to all forms of virtue ethics?

We begin by discussing two concepts that are central to all forms of virtue ethics, namely, virtue and practical wisdom. Then we note some of the features that distinguish different virtue ethical theories from one another before turning to objections that have been raised against virtue ethics and responses offered on its behalf. We conclude with a look at some of the directions in which future research might develop.

What is virtue ethics?

Virtue Ethics. Virtue ethics is currently one of three major approaches in normative ethics. It may, initially, be identified as the one that emphasizes the virtues, or moral character, in contrast to the approach that emphasizes duties or rules (deontology) or that emphasizes the consequences of actions (consequentialism).

Where did virtue ethics come from?

Although modern virtue ethics does not have to take a “neo-Aristotelian” or eudaimonist form (see section 2), almost any modern version still shows that its roots are in ancient Greek philosophy by the employment of three concepts derived from it.