In the words of the hero of the famous cartoon: “If you are good, it’s good, but when it’s the opposite, it’s bad! From birth, every person lives in society, performs certain actions and receives appropriate ratings for them. The topic of this article will be mainly good and righteous acts of a person who does good or aspires to it. What are virtues, what are they, and how can you help yourself in acquiring such qualities? Let's get it right.
Basic concepts
Virtue and vice - for many, these definitions are not fully understood, because in everyday everyday use such words are not common. Of course, every child knows what is good and what is bad. However, in contrast to the values ​​adopted in society, ethical and moral norms, virtue is an internal need to do good not because “it is necessary”, but simply because you cannot do otherwise. Also, some personal qualities of a person that help him find his place in society can also be recognized as a virtue. Such, for example, can be:
- politeness;
- friendliness;
- compassion and empathy;
- responsibility;
- honesty;
- operability, etc.
Vice is the reverse side of virtue, or rather, its opposite. Any act that causes harm to oneself or to the world around us can be considered vicious. Based on this, the reprehensible character traits can be recognized as a vice:
- laziness;
- greed;
- conceit;
- deceitfulness;
- envy and others.
The analysis and study of human vices and virtues has always been of interest to the minds of enlightened people, both ancient and more modern. Own classification of virtues was made up of various philosophical and religious teachings.
In antiquity
Even the ancient Greeks noticed that the path to righteousness is quite difficult. Virtue is not given from birth, the road to it is thorny and requires considerable effort. Based on ancient Greek philosophy, there are its types:
- moderation;
- wisdom;
- courage;
- justice.
In this case, the great Socrates gave the leading role to wisdom, and he considered reason as the source of each. But his student, no less great philosopher Plato believed that each of the virtues is based on the personal property of the soul: wisdom comes from the mind, and courage is based on the will. At the same time, he also noted that a certain virtue is more inherent in each estate - so, you should not expect courage or wisdom from a craftsman, and moderation from warriors or rulers.
Arguing about what virtues are, one cannot help but recall Aristotle, who divided the human essence into the virtue of the will (ethical) and the mind (dianoetic). He believed that the sensual, unreasonable part of any person is obedient to his mental (reasonable) part. In this case, virtue was defined as the ability to find a “middle ground” in everything, deviation to one side or another was recognized as a vice. That is, this is a kind of measure between the lack or excess of something.
Oh great renaissance
In the Middle Ages, during the time of Renaissance humanism, virtue - virtus - was considered the main category that defines the ideal person. Uomo virtuoso - this is the name of the person who possesses it. This concept encompassed a whole complex of moral standards, acquiring more diverse shades over time.
On the one hand, the concept of what virtues was based on the provisions of ancient ethics and was interpreted as a reasonable self-restraint in spiritual and physical needs. On the other hand, the image of the ideal person - uomo virtuoso - was slightly softened by new ideas about the inseparability of body and soul, earthly and spiritual needs. Therefore, an ideal person was considered not only reasonable, but also active, because the person’s primary duty is constant self-development, the pursuit of knowledge and useful activity.
"New" times
Over time, the concept of what virtues took on new forms. One of the leading representatives of the philosophy of the "new" time - Spinoza - considered virtue to be the benefit that a person can bring to the outside world. But according to Kant, virtue is solid moral stability in following one's duty, never, however, becoming a habit, but always requiring a conscious choice.
The notorious politician, writer and diplomat Benjamin Franklin in his autobiography outlined the principle of "thirteen virtues", which should be inherent in a successful person:
- calm
- modesty;
- justice;
- moderation;
- thrift;
- hard work;
- order;
- silence;
- determination;
- sincerity;
- abstinence;
- purity;
- chastity.
By and large, this list can be extended many more times, for example, pedantic Germans define it with a much larger number of points.
Prussian virtues
This list of the best human qualities originates from the time of the Lutheranism of the Enlightenment. The concept of German virtues appeared during the reign of King Frederick William I, who strengthened the internal position of Prussia in the 18th century. Until now, it remains a mystery why such a set was singled out, however, the mass following it brought tangible benefits and left a rather significant mark in the history of Prussia. This is what the true virtues of man look like, according to Frederick William I:
- thrift;
- love of order;
- sincerity;
- Integrity
- obedience;
- fear of God;
- restraint;
- zeal
- modesty;
- honesty;
- fidelity;
- hardness;
- straightforwardness;
- sense of justice;
- discipline;
- subordination;
- reliability;
- dedication;
- courage;
- bravery;
- punctuality;
- call of Duty.
Christian look
Discussing different views on the positive traits of a person’s character, one cannot help but mention such a concept as Christian virtues. This more or less general concept can be divided into two large parts:
- cardinal - to which include 4 concepts that came to us from ancient philosophy;
- theological - the teaching of which has brought Christianity into our lives;
The result is this list:
- courage;
- moderation;
- prudence;
- justice;
- hope;
- love;
- Vera.
A little later, this list underwent significant changes and a new one was established, which is the seven virtues that confront the seven deadly sins in Western Christianity:
- patience;
- humility;
- meekness;
- chastity;
- zeal
- moderation;
- love.
Internal confrontation
Of course, every person knows what act will be for the good, and what is evil, nevertheless, virtue and vice constitute an internal conflict for most of us. The difficulty of moral choice has always been inherent in man. “I know the righteous, but choose the pleasant” - this principle of life is still relevant today. Indeed, you must admit that understanding the word of virtue, its meaning, does not mean appropriate behavior.
For a long time, this state of affairs was perceived as a kind of paradox. Indeed, it’s quite difficult to logically understand how one can lead an unrighteous life, knowing that it is vicious. That is why in the era of antiquity, knowledge that was not put into practice was not considered as such. According to Aristotle and Socrates, if a person knows how to, but acts contrary to, then this means that his actions are based not on true knowledge, but on personal opinion. In this case, a person is supposed to achieve real knowledge, confirmed practically.
Proceeding from the Christian doctrine, bad thoughts and deeds of a person speak of the sinfulness of his body, which means that you need to completely abandon earthly practicality and rationality, to reject sinful flesh that impedes the achievement of true spiritual harmony.
Be that as it may, but regardless of whether virtue is understood as rationality or righteousness, it is acquired by a person in the process of realizing the duality of his nature and ability to resolve internal conflict.
What makes you virtuous
From birth to death, man lives in a society of his own kind. Observing the behavior of other people, comprehending the laws adopted in society, he develops a certain model of behavior. Obtaining the approval or condemnation of his actions from other people, a person builds for himself a certain scale of values, the following of which he considers the most acceptable.
The main step towards the knowledge of virtue can be considered the recognition of the significance and value of other people. Living in society, it is impossible to focus solely on personal interests and beliefs. Only recognition of the value of people living nearby, a sober assessment of their own moral qualities, continuous self-improvement can make a person worthy of imitation.
How traditionally look like seven virtues
From ancient times, sculptors and artists embodied their vision of vices and virtues in a variety of ways. Most often these were images of young beautiful women in long clothes with various attributes. Christian virtues, for example, might look like this:
- Faith - a girl in a white robe, holding a cross in her hands, marking the death of Christ, or a crystal bowl. It can also be depicted with a shield or a lamp in hand.
- Another virtue - Love - initially looked like a sacrificial lamb or a pelican, in canonical painting it looks like a woman with many caressing children or with a burning heart in her hand. Another image is also quite popular - a girl sowing seeds with one hand and pressing her to the heart with the other.
- Hope is a girl in green robes, inclined in prayer, sometimes with wings or an anchor. In another version, she reaches out to the sun in a prayer gesture, and beside her is a burning Phoenix.
- Courage, prudence, moderation and justice were also portrayed in female guises.
Which is better, where to aim?
Surprisingly, explaining the very concept of virtue and suggesting ways to comprehend it, not one of the greatest philosophers of antiquity and modernity was able to reliably determine what is the highest virtue. Socrates and Plato, for example, believed that this was wisdom (knowledge), Aristotle - moderation, Confucius - devotion and reverence for the elders. Christian doctrine, however, calls love (mainly to God) the highest virtue. Probably, everyone can decide for himself which one to read more than others, because it is impossible to achieve perfection in all directions.