Tuesday, September 25, 2012
The Virtues
In both The Peaceable Kingdom and the excerpt we read from Hauerwas's A Community of Character, Hauerwas evokes Aquinas and Aristotle and contends that "there must first be a character that somehow has an affinity for excellence or virtue, a character that loves what is noble and feels disgust at what is base." Hauerwas relies heavily on the virtues to defend his writing on the "Christian" ethical life. In the writings of the ancient Greeks and medieval Church thinkers, philosophers and theologians traditionally recognized four cardinal virtues: 1) prudence (the ability to judge between actions with regard to appropriate actions at a given time); 2) justice (the proper moderation between self-interest and the rights and needs of others); 3) temperance (the practice of self-control, abstention, and moderation); and 4) courage (forbearance, endurance, and ability to confront fear and uncertainty, or intimidation). You're an aspiring religious ethicist or theological writer attempting to craft new cardinal virtues for a new era. What four values would you choose and why?
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If I had to choose four new cardinal virtues, they would be (in no particular order):
ReplyDelete1. A Sense of Community: It is important to have a sense of where you come from, because that will shape who you are. In addition, working with others develops the ability to work with others and coexist.
2. Open-Mindedness: Everyone should try to understand others, because you will never know what exactly they are going through, where they come from, or what’s going on. Being open minded allows for a lot more opportunities.
3. Stick-to-itiveness: If everyone gave up all of the time, nothing would get done, and it bothers me when things aren’t done.
4. Being nice: The world would just be a better place if people were nicer.
My four cardinal virtues would be respect, care, honesty and justice. I propose respect because if we did not respect each other, they can never be peace for we would not listen nor would we try to comprehend our peers' opinions. Care because when we care for others(and ourselves)we are able to comprehend them and ourselves which creates links with each other which makes us progress in this world. Honesty because the truth will always surface and lies turn us against each other and peace will be disturbed. I agree with justice because I believe that we should all be judge equally and we should all have equal saying and rights. I also believe we should have a balance between ourselves and the rest of the world (no selfishness).
ReplyDeleteI find it difficult to pick only four cardinal virtues, but I suppose that many others could be encompassed under a blanket few:
ReplyDelete1. Non Violence: I suppose it is similar to Hauerwas's "temperance." I don't believe that violence truly has a place in any situation. It takes great self restraint to not pick the easy, violent route in any situation, and I believe if enough of the world felt similarly many conflicts of today would not exist.
2. Empathy: In order to have a functional community, it is crucial to be able to relate to others' struggles. I think that empathy in turn brings aid and assistance to those in need. There is not enough empathy in this world.
3. Courage: I like stated definition for courage, although I don't know if it's the word I would use. I think that it is not just important to recognize the pain and suffering of the world, but people need to be strong willed and brave enough to act of kindness.
4. Prudence: We exploit the recourses in our world aimlessly, and I think it is important to recognize that we only need enough and not more. We have turned into gluttonous people because we have no concept of excess, just need and want.
All of my virtues I see as key when not just relating between people, but also ourselves in relation to the earth. To be morally sound I think that people need to apply their morals to the earth as well. You would not destroy your house, so you should not destroy the earth, either.
1. Compassion: People need to care about each other. If everyone felt it when other people were hurt, both physically and emotionally, then people would be less likely to hurt each other or do nothing while others are in pain.
ReplyDelete2. Listening: Nothing can get done if everyone's trying to talk over each other, and if people don't listen to all voices in society, it is impossible for them to be represented.
3. Tolerance: People are different. They might be major differences or minor differences, but individuality is part of what makes us human. Accept it, and move on.
4. Fairness: When each person is born, they deserve all the same opportunities and the same amount of kindness as anyone else. It is impossible to live in a fair world, but I think we can try.
All of these morals fall under the basic idea of kindness and respect for everyone, regardless of differences or circumstances. I think when we overcome our prejudices to just become nice people, who care about each other, we will live in a truly moral world.
Again, this isn’t a fair question because you’re assuming that we believe, as the ethicists before us believed, that there must be, or can only be, four cardinal virtues. You’re also assuming that we believe these virtues must be treated as equals. Bearing that in mind, as a result, my four virtues will contradict each other.
ReplyDelete1) Patience. Great things don’t happen overnight. When we get hasty or anxious, we tend to act on impulses that don’t agree with our long-term goals. A little patience ensures that we keep our foresight.
2) Loyalty. I don’t mean loyalty in the sense of…you don’t abandon your values in the face of adversity…but loyalty to those values, so that you aren’t always changing them to suit your situation. I’d like to point out that unlike a lot of people on here, I don’t agree that courage needs to be a cardinal virtue. I wouldn’t tell a man who shot someone in self-defense that he is no longer moral if he knew that the action violated his morality. We definitely respect people who show true courage, but a slip-up here and there doesn’t terminate that morality, at least in my opinion.
3) Equality, fairness, etc. I think every person needs to understand that he or she is worth the same as the person across the street. Everybody deserves the same rights, and that includes a right to respect and a right to be heard.
4) Empathy. I think Moriah did this one justice in her post.
My four values would be:
ReplyDelete1. Respect- we all need to respect each other in order for a set community with peace, happiness, and order. If one did not respect another, there would be discomfort and no sense of order.
2. Creativity- If everyone was lacking creativity, there would be no art, music, or literature that would be highly appreciated. Creativity lets one express him/herself in a way they may not be able to in another way. This would be essential to a community because it would provide diversity.
3. Equality- Everyone should be equal and respected the same
4. Joyfulness- If one is not joyful, how will the next find happiness?
1. Courage. I believe courage is important because it gives people the ability to face their fears. Courage is necessary for a community to be able to come together and stand up against an outside force for example. It gives people the ability to stand up for what they believe in, which is very important.
ReplyDelete2. Compassion. Caring for one another is a vital part in creating a successful and thriving community. Without compassion people could run free hurting others and not truly understand the consequences of their actions.
3. Tolerance. Everyone is different. Everyone will have different beliefs, look different, act differently and for every person there needs to be acceptance and tolerance so people can unite and work together.
4. Equality. Everyone should know that no individual is worth more or less than anyone else. Everyone has the same level of importance and self worth in the community as everyone else. There is no all powerful overseer nor is there a lowly, worthless individual.
1.) Perspective. It is human nature to focus primarily on one's own life and one's own problems, but a sense of perspective can lead to virtues such as empathy, selflessness, and humility. Not only might this motivate the better-off members of society to assist those in need, but people would notice a feeling of appreciation (perhaps, accompanied by some guilt) for their blessings.
ReplyDelete2.) Work ethic. If everyone was motivated to work at SOMETHING every day, anything from digging graves to editing Wikipedia articles, the world would (although in subtle ways, at times) improve constantly. Combined with a sense of perspective, think of how much could get done! And consider those who may have already mastered this virtue, e.g. corporate lawyers... Perhaps they would direct their attention to the virtues they were lacking (like perspective), and become environmental lawyers. I'm half-joking.
3.) Education. I view this virtue as a compliment to perspective. Not only would education bring people some sense of perspective and help them appreciate it, but also an educated person can better recognize a lack of perspective in someone else. Education would in this way encourage the user and the used to bring about change in unfair patterns of behavior. It would moreover help people realize which global problems required their attention (so work ethic would always be put to its best use).
4.) Tolerance. I mention that education would make someone's eyes keener to others' moral flaws, but here I contradict myself somewhat by proposing that people should by and large try not to notice flaws (in EACH OTHER). When one ignores flaws, one develops stronger connections with his or her acquaintances. Hence, all beneficiaries of these bonds become happier and more self-actualized, and communities are strengthened. Furthermore, one who does not notice flaws does not mistake differences FOR flaws, so people who acknowledge the virtues I propose would become more loving and more appreciative of the perks they owe to their friends' work ethic.
1. Prudence - I agree with Hauerwas on this one. I think it's important to be able to judge a situation and the appropriate response to it and be able to discern things like that. We make choices all the time and I think that the ability and intention to make the right ones is important.
ReplyDelete2. Love - Is love even a virtue? I'm not sure. But I'm going to use it. And I'm also going to consider it as also including things like empathy and compassion and caring. And arguably, these are all different things. But I think they do fall on love. It doesn't necessarily have to be romantic love, or love of a person. It could be platonic love, or just caring about something or being passionate about something, which I would argue is necessary to function normally in society. Being able to care about things, I think, feeds into just about everything we do.
3. Non-violence - I agree with Moriah. I'm hardly the least violent person, but I'm certainly not the most, and I think that there are ways to do just about everything without violence and that if we could become non violent beings, our lives would improve and we would be happier.
4. Acceptance - This is pretty much the same as Rachel's tolerance. I think we need to accept people for who they are, assuming they're not like a serial murderer or anything but I think that if we were able to accept each other and become more unified a lot of problems would be solved.
So, I'm not entirely sure what a virtue is in this case and I'm kind of unsure about my blogpost but I think that it's difficult to base a morality off only four core values when these are ideals that, really, have quite a bit of room for interpretation and when morality is so much wider than just four things.
1. Happiness - I think that to be a moral person, you have to be content with your life and how it is. No person can make others happy if they are preoccupied with how sad they themselves are.
ReplyDelete2. Honesty - In most situations I think it is important for people to be relatively honest with one another. Of course there are specific cases when people have to lie. But mostly, things work out better if people know the truth.
3. Forgiveness - It is important for people to give one another the benefit of the doubt, even if they have proven to be untrustworthy in the past. I think forgiveness of people's past crimes and offenses is important in people getting along.
4. Justice - I agree that justice is important. Even though it is important for people to take care of themselves and do well for themselves, it is also important for them to take into account the concerns of others.
1) Neutrality. Neutrality would be an ideal value for someone of a religion position. It would ensure that one part is not judged to harshly, and that another one is not shown preferential treatment. It would be ideal if everyone was life this (well, at least for religious leaders) because it would most likely end many needless conflicts that span the globe.
ReplyDelete2) Peaceful nature. This sort of builds off of the last bit of neutrality, in the sense that non-violence should be an essential of every religion. Religion, in it's core value, is really just a better way to live your life. Religion should be the catalyst that ensures you are a good human being, rather than killing everyone else who would disagree with you. With a peaceful demeanor, a religious leader would seem to be something that the world needs.
3) Justice. Justice would also play into the whole non-violent aspect of religion. Justice is an important quality to be found in a person of religious power, because it would ensure no wrongful treatment. It would also ensure that they do not judge someone based solely upon the beliefs of their own religion. This would have to mean that this is a more universal form of justice, rather than one of a religious context.
4) Tolerance. Tolerance is important for the reason of preventing conflicts. Tolerance should be the core of every religious belief, and in many cases actually is. But just because you tolerate something does not necessarily mean that you like it, just that you put up with it.
My four virtues would be respect, care, honesty, and compassion. I think respect is important, because if we didn't have it our community and world would be in chaos. Our society has a order and peace, because we know that we must respect one another. My second virtue is care and I think this is important, because if we didn't care for one another or at least some people in the world we would be a completely selfish society, therefore only fighting for ourselves. My third virtue is honesty and although I know that it can be almost impossible to tell the truth in every single situation no matter how small or big I think that if we were not somehow honest with one another our society would not be functional. We have to be honest so other people can trust us, and by forming trust we can have more people to help us through life. My last virtue was compassion and I think this is an important characteristic, because without it we wouldn't have the motivation to do anything in life or for the matter even live.
ReplyDeleteMy four cardinal virtues would be:
ReplyDelete1)Respect: When I say respect, the word truly encompasses a multitude of other virtues, by nature. To respect someone is to try to understand their way of life and their way of thinking. To respect someone is to avoid violent measures because you value their right to life and their right to believe their own thoughts. To respect someone is to be able to coexist with that person without undermining him/her as a person, an individual, or a part of a greater whole. Respect encompasses the idea of non-violence, of the use of words without threating or harming someone’s safety, being honest, and acting righteously.
2)Temperance: I agree with Hauerwas in his idea of temperance. Self-control is arguably one of the toughest things that human beings deal with. Many people want to believe that they practice it, but they know that they often fall short. Temperance, like respect, encompasses a lot of other virtues and ideas as well. Self-control not only deals with things like sexual/physical desires, but also deals with emotional desires. People naturally become angry quickly. However, if you were a person who practices temperance, you would not allow your anger to control your thoughts or actions. Self-control is such an important concept, and I personally believe it would be the hardest virtue for people to abide by. People learn when to fight their battles, and they learn how to use their words as catalysts for healthy conversation instead of simply reacting and regretting their actions or words later.
3)Loving kindness: When I say “loving kindness” I am implying a sense of genuine generosity. There are plenty of people who do nice things, but with ulterior motives. A person who practices loving kindness has a general sense of kindness that brings happiness to both his/herself and to others. However, this is NOT like the description of the moral saints that we have read. I don’t mean that a person practicing this virtue doesn’t partake in their own selfish pleasures, I just mean that they practice kindness from a true place from within. They don’t feed the homeless every weekend to get in the news paper, they help because they want to provide assistance to people less fortunate than them. A person abiding by loving kindness as a virtue operates with both an open heart and an open mind.
4)Honesty: Honesty is a complicated virtue, but I also think that it is extremely important. Behind temperance, I think this virtue would be the 2nd hardest for people to follow. Honesty is difficult because it isn’t as black and white as people would like to think. Sometimes, to be honest, is to be mean, is to be blunt, is to be cold. These aren’t the types of honesty I’m necessarily referring to. In some cases, people have to be that type of honest. For example, parents set rules for their children, and when their children break those rules, parents have to be honest about why they set their rules and the punishments that ensue. That type of honesty helps build up the moral character of their children (in theory), and is necessary for the development of children into functioning human beings.
However, the problem with this is that there are other types of honesty that have to be accounted for. Other forms have to do with bending the real truth or not giving full information. Part of being smart in terms of honesty comes from knowledge of people, and a respect for them as individual beings. For example, if you’re a doctor and you have a patient who has a chance of dying do you tell them? What if the patient is a 6-year-old? There are many different scenarios that encompass a form of honesty without destroying the mental state of people. I think honesty is extremely important, but it is also equally important in how you approach it and how you use it.
My four cardinal values would have to be:
ReplyDelete1.Understanding- I think that everyone has to have a degree of understanding towards other people. It has the beginnings of empathy and brings people closer together. If you understand what your neighbor is going through, you are not as quick to judge them on their actions or inactions. It prompts others to learn about and love each other for who they are.
2.Joy- People need to experience joy and happiness in their lives to know why life is worth living. We can't have masses of depressed people moping around because that brings a heavy air on everyone, which isn't helpful to making the world a more moral place.
3.Honesty- Everyone should be honest, even if the truth can hurt. It's important to be honest for us to be understood, respected, and to bring happiness into our lives. Honesty does not have to be harsh or blunt but rather given in a way that is caring and for the best interest of others. If you're honest, it shows you really care.
4.Respect-It's very important to respect people for who they are. It ties into the value of understanding because giving and receiving respect brings us closer together. It's not fair to anyone to not respect them if they have done nothing to you to not deserve your respect. One can respectfully disagree with others ideals or believes but that does not mean you can sham them or be rude or disgusting. No one really deserves that.
my four cardinal values:
ReplyDelete1. compromise - this virtue, in my mind, is the most widespread and versatile of any that exist. Depending of course on the exact context, I believe compromise to in most cases encompass tolerance, respect, integrity, discipline, acceptance, empathy, etc. in that it is simply the acknowledgment of and drive to resolve the issues of one's opponent as well as one's own. Lack of compromise is the very pit and essence of society's inability to fully coexist.
2. drive to learn - put simply, ignorance leads to hate. ideals such as tolerance and compassion are absolutely impossible to achieve if people are content to sit back with their judgment and assumptions and let their uneducated preconceived notions of other people and practices fester. if a person has not put forth a concerted effort to familiarize themselves fully with the entity they are choosing to hate, they relinquish their right to an opinion and credibility.
3. abrasiveness/near complete honesty - it's difficult to envision this virtue becoming a staple in today's society because we've worked tirelessly to stifle any semblance of emotional health under the euphemism "manners," but I am an extremely firm believer in clearing the air. honesty is only abrasive and offensive because we have made it so. "think before you speak" is a horrific concept and had it never been implemented, we would be a much looser and healthier planet. I realize that this somewhat contradicts "tolerance and acceptance," but if my previous 2 ideals were firmly in motion, I think that hatefulness would not be too big an issue. we as a whole need to grow thicker skin.
4. joy/pleasure - this virtue seems almost comical beside the other 3, and trivial at first glance, but there simply is no anything without pleasure. there is no general incentive. there is no reason to live. joy is in some ways the only thing we really need to function. everything would be absolute chaos, but at least the short bursts of happiness and relief amid the distorted madness would be enough to keep us from the brink of mass indifference.