What is virtue? Can it be taught?

This was Fred’s idea. The topic seems highly relevant today for obvious reasons related to our politics and our fast moving but increasingly anomic culture. It also is a nice throwback to Civilized Conversation’s beginnings as a group that focused more on philosophy and religion.

Virtue seems almost a lost concept these days. Who even uses the word anymore? People are more apt to use close-but-not-quite synonyms like integrity or honesty or the even more vague “morality.” Using virtue links us back to classical and religious debates over what constitutes virtuous thought and action, and how to live a virtuous personal and community-oriented life. Virtue is a core concept in both Greek and Western philosophy, in Christian ethics, and in many non-Western philosophical and religious systems of thought.

Fred has in mind that we focus on Aristotelian virtues. Extending Plato, Aristotle argued that understanding virtue and acting virtuously are the key to a good life and a healthy community. Stoicism placed virtue at its core too, as I understand it. Later, Christianity (especially Catholicism) did the same. We can discuss them briefly, too.

To me, our real challenge will come after we understand a bit about the classical meanings of virtue. We can discuss whether and how people act and live virtuously- or fail to do so - today, both in their daily lives and in serving larger communities. In a MAGA era, even discussing "virtue" may seem quaint. I think it is not. Let's learn a bit about the philosophy of virtue, with Fred's help, and then strive to be better than our leaders are telling the world we are.

The week before our meeting, check back here for some background readings, some short/easy and a few longer/harder ones. I will add any trenchant commentaries I can find on our society’s pressing need for more virtuous behavior. Once one gets a passingly familiar sense of what virtue has meant across very different times and places, the contrast with how our leaders in politics, industry (tech, notably), and media are currently behaving is… stark. We might also gain some insights into how best to respond to it all.

Optional Background Readings -

• TBA.