42 Comments

You raise some intriguing lines of thought about the distinctions between an ethic based on "virtues" and one based on "values." Everyone has things they value, but not everyone has (or values) virtue. Values are egalitarian, but virtues are not. For some of these folks, it really does seem that any talk of "virtue" offends them because it's a reminder of how vicious they are in comparison.

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Fun fact, there originally were *eight* deadly sins.

Tristitia, or excessive sadness was formerly included.

Dante Alighieri (of Dante's Inferno) somehow managed to take it out of the list. Makes you wonder if he indulged in tristitia and wanted to excuse himself (or more charitably, he cared for someone who did so). Whatever his motive, I wonder what depression rates would be if it was still considered sinful.

I uncovered this bit of history in a podcast series a friend and I are making on solutions to problems we currently face, and the first four (five?) are going to be on virtue. I'll be dropping them soon, so maybe subscribe to my 'stack if you think that's your knack.

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A few years ago, I used to attend a Byzantine Catholic church. The priest there stressed that faith was an act of the will, *not* a mere intellect assent. He described it more as "faithfulness" -- staying the course even when it is unpleasant. The Latin "fides" means loyalty or confidence. The Greek "piste" is pretty similar. I don't know Hebrew or Aramaic, but it seems like there's some linguistic basis for his claim.

I think that the bizarre interpretation of Pauline doctrine in the Reformation was largely responsible for the meaning shift.

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I got into it recently about virtue with my favorite liberal troll. Virtue is fascism, he says: I replied to a comment of his, basically about how conservatives should not be allowed to participate in democracy.

By William Hunter Duncan

on March 2, 2023 at 4:26 p.m.

Replying to Matt Haas

Spoken like a true one-party authoritarian. While many so-called conservatives are not really, true conservatism is about conserving tradition, like family, a work ethic, the classic virtues of prudence, temperance, justice and fortitude.

As for sectarian chaos, I should think that would very much describe liberal identity, race and gender politics at this point.

By Matt Haas

on March 2, 2023 at 6:31 p.m.

Replying to William Hunter Duncan

Yeah, not so much. Those “values” you cite are so much pap, and believe me, when you and yours set about trying to implement your fascist fantasy agenda, you’ll find out just how unified we herd of cats can be.

By William Hunter Duncan

on March 2, 2023 at 8:50 p.m.

Replying to Matt Haas

That is the first time I have heard fascism defined as “family, a work ethic, the classic virtues of prudence, temperance, justice and fortitude.”

You must be fun to hang out with.

By Matt Haas

on March 3, 2023 at 10:10 a.m.

Replying to William Hunter Duncan

Why yes, fascists NEVER appeal to a sense of fake nostalgia about “lost” traditional values. I mean it was only the entirety of the Nazi platform, but I’m sure you must be right

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Value to me reeks of the longhouse

Virtue, on the other hand, goes hand-in-hand with tonic masculinity

Maybe not a perfect comparison but there's something there

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WOW!!!~... What a wonderful essay... there should be a button for "Love" in order to acknowledge the brilliance exhibited... my time spent in reading was such a delight as to liken it to a feast... and the food-for-thought was such that I could possibly have gained weight in doing so... John, I tip my hat to this most excellent treatise on our modern society, it's temporal values and spiritual virtues lost... Well done! Well done, INdeed!!!~

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Although I grew up calling them "the seven cardinal virtues", I could at least name them all. That may be a function of a good religious education (I went to an independent, fee-paying high school).

Interestingly, my school used "courage" for "fortitude" and "moderation" for temperance.

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A medievalist (my former profession) view: the Mother of All Virtues is caritas ie charity. If you like, you can argue that Love/agape leads to charity, since love of humanity leads to caring for humanity in a heartfelt way (my roundabout way of describing Latin caritas). Certainly medieval depictions of the Virtues accord central place to charity. Stack won’t allow pictures in the comments, but if you look up Tree of Virtues you can find nice images of a medieval kind of graphic depiction like a family tree of how the virtues and other desirable qualities interlink; charity is the centre and root of all others that branch from it.

As to virtues as aristocratic, that’s interesting you should say that. The exterior of Strasbourg cathedral has some great sculptural representation of the psychomachia (the art historian’s jargon for battle between the virtues and vices) dating from around 1300. The virtues are sculptures of seven aristocratic maidens, each standing on and trampling on the respective vice. The vices are cowering, distorted, abject figures, with the features and clothing of peasants and other lower class folk. I used these representations for my undergraduate dissertation many years ago as an example of medieval class war. I still find that argument convincing.

So I’m rather concerned about an identification of virtue with aristocracy. The Greek aristos meaning best may be the origin of the concept, but our betters have long proven to be anything but.

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Mar 9, 2023Liked by John Carter

"Merchants are known to exaggerate". - Now morphed into fascist propaganda.

Interesting read I'm working through the links it gives body to the points made.

To avoid being a being in the cesspool I would rather use the material to grow soil fertility while feeding myself, anyone volunteering to swim in it, top to bottom, will be composted - is this a value or a virtue?

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Thank you! This one needs to be made available in audio, for our reading aversion conditioned brothers. If you have yet to read Codex Oera Linda, I recommend it, for another window into the virtues that our ancestors realized were essential.

Short, but extremely concentrated, due in part to having been worthy of inscription on our ancestors citadel walls over millenia.

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Mar 9, 2023Liked by John Carter

Excellent article. IMO practising the theological virtues is the best way to develop the cardinal virtues. I try to say an Act of Faith, an Act of Hope, and an Act of Charity every day. Memorizing and reciting stuff like this is really good for you. It causes the content to color your thoughts and actions on a deep level.

I hear you on the values prattle. My company endlessly goes on about our "core values" and nakedly tries to instill them from the top down with the openly stated purpose being MOAR PROFIT. The fact that the profit motive totally undermines the values themselves (e.g. Sincerity and Honesty) is apparently lost on everyone. Corporate must realize what a hollow exercise it is though. They feel a need to remind everyone that values ---> profit BECAUSE they have zero faith that employees will see these "values" as worthwhile for their own sakes.

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Thank you for this inspirational post!

Funny, just last night I was struggling to articulate to my spouse the essential problem with one family member. I briefly considered saying this person lacked "faith" but then discarded the idea and moved on to a very long explanation of what I thought was wrong. Now I know that "faith" was actually the correct word: "having the courage of your convictions, from which flows the will to act upon them."

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Mar 9, 2023Liked by John Carter

Thanks. I needed this.

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Mar 9, 2023Liked by John Carter

This was very encouraging and motivating. Thank you

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There are people of the Left who have virtue. Those who pay extra for humanely raised meats, or forgo meat entirely have virtue. White liberals who opt to live in Baltimore and make friends across lines of class and race are virtuous. Enviros who live spartan lives or put solar collectors on their homes are displaying some virtue. (Though we might question their prudence at times.) And like him or hate him, Bill Gates has a prudent approach to green energy: he's invested part of his fortune to develop next generation nuclear power.

Over the past few decades I have seen a decline in virtue on the part of the Left. While there have always been Limousine liberals who talked the talk without walking the walk -- going all the way back to Thomas Jefferson -- this replacement of action with ever more strident Talk is the characteristic of our age. The private jet setting environmentalist who invests in replacing jungle with biofuel farms is indeed worthy of extreme contempt. Ditto for the "anti racist" who spouts Critical Race Theory from the safety of Vermont, Maine, Oregon, or a college town.

But let us keep in mind that the extreme hypocrisy we see on the Left is what the Left saw in the Religious Right back in the day. Demanding an end to the welfare state without a restoration of real charity is to be worthy of contempt. In ancient Rome, the Christian churches were mutual aid societies, and a very expensive ones for the wealthy. Here in the US, many of our schools and hospitals bear the names of saints because they were originally funded by donations. A pure for-profit system of healthcare does not work. Poor people get sick too.

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deletedMar 12, 2023·edited Mar 12, 2023Liked by John Carter
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