What is virtue? Can it be taught?
Details
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, such as Confucianism.
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.
Fred will steer the meeting on matters of substance, and I can handle the usual queuing and calling on people, if Fred prefers.
Optional Background Readings -
- Ask AI about "Aristotelian ethics" or the "cardinal virtues" or "virtue ethics."
- Wiki’s Cardinal virtues entry, covering Greek, Roman, Christian POVs.
- What Were Aristotle’s Four Cardinal Virtues? Longer but recommended as a skim at least.
- Much longer Aristotle: Ethics | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Via Fred. Morality Without Theology: How to Teach Values in Public Schools. 1990 but recommended.
- Fred: The virtues of teaching and the teaching of virtue. Boston University 2006.