Virtue

~Wisdom~
~Courage~
~Justice~
~Moderation~

Presenting the four cardinal virtues. Also known as the chief western virtues. No doubt voiced in part by Socrates and certainly enumerated by Plato. Part of me is glad there isn't much active consideration these days, otherwise they could be thrown away with things like the ten commandments in the trash of obsolete, broken wisdom. Thankfully they have no religious grounding and are broad enough concepts to have resisted the effects of age.

Before proceeding further I will detail what I refer to as the twin concepts of the chief virtues:

Prudence = Wisdom
Fortitude = Courage
Justice
Temperance = Moderation

One is rarely without the other yet they are more than synonyms. As with the shortcomings of language, sometimes one twin is better described in place of the other. "Patience is prudence" because it it is wise to be patient.

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Wisdom
                        is the virtue of the thinker; the considerate mind. In a very general sense it refers to an ideal state where someone makes the best decision given the situation. The twin concept of wisdom is prudence. It is the positive trait of someone who treads carefully and is mindful of their actions. "Take care." I've seen wisdom and knowledge be confused with one another many times. The important difference being that knowledge is what you know and wisdom is what you do (with what you know).

Courage
                        is the virtue of the emotional heart; the empathetic soul. Truly the most popularized virtue of modern times. I would be careful to establish the difference between courage and valor.* The twin concept is fortitude, which helps to make the distinction. It is the determination of an unwavering spirit; the steadfastness of someone driven toward an end. While I don't aim to reduce it to a trite status, the application is without limitation. Fortitude is just as readily observed in an inspired student as it is in a worker facing adverse circumstances. Courage is acting on your convictions even if met with resistance.

Justice
                     is the virtue of the accountable mind; the socially responsible. Certainly the most abstract of the chief virtues and I suspect the most difficult for contemporary attitudes to digest. With our legal system being referred to as the "justice system" there is plenty of room for misinterpretation. Ask kids in Pennsylvania right now if their court system is just and get the response you'd receive from most "Americans" these days who don't really trust anything any more. If we can, let us--for a moment--hold it separate and take it in as the beautiful idea that justice is.

There is no twin here, which I find very interesting. The hardest thing about accepting the concept is that it requires a person to be able to consider their self wrong in any situation. Consider it tandem with accountability. People think justice is someone getting what they deserve in a judicial sense. Like a bible, they bring it out only when it is needed then quickly re-shelve afterward. Justice is served. If anything, I would have people consider it more a constant than a fleeting convenience.

Given thought, justice is less and less a verdict to be decided by someone else and more a quality of life best experienced if all embrace the notion. Plato saw it as the unifying virtue which made possible and preserved the others. Perhaps that is why it's difficult to define justice without referencing the others. To be just is to be wise, courageous and moderate.

Moderation
                                is the virtue of the balanced presence. As fat as the U.S. is, it is a topic widely discussed now. The word itself is easily applied to nearly any situation. The twin concept here is temperance, which when found in a dictionary has 'moderation' as the first word of the 1. definition. To lose your temper is to lose your self-control. As a cognizant being this can be the most embarrassing virtue to lack.

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To discuss virtue is to have a conversation about 'morals' and 'ethics' but hopefully without using either word. I say that because people in this country have an awful tendency to condemn each others varied world views when they'd have as much luck telling someone their opinion is wrong.

On paper we consider virtues individually but in practice they are a unified force. Moderation is impossible without the wisdom necessary to exercise it. Courage and fortitude are foolhardy without prudence to temper their application. Justice without moderation is corrupt. They are independent yet intertwined and one cannot exist without all others.



*valor -noun: boldness or determination in facing great danger, esp. in battle; heroic courage; bravery.