Four Cardinal Virtues Essay, Research Paper

In our survey of the four central virtuousnesss we have been larning many thoughts and

theories on how to populate? the good life. ? It was really hard in the

beginning of this semester to specify what? the good life? agencies. After

analyzing the virtuousnesss and their theories it became really clear to us what? the

good life? is all about. Josef Pieper, the writer of the book we have been

perusal, has made it really simple to understand how to be a good homo being.

Christian thought and morality has played a major function in the apprehension of

the four virtuousnesss. The alleged four central virtuousnesss that we have been analyzing

are prudence, justness, fortitude, and moderation. Harmonizing to Pieper these four

virtuousnesss are the cardinal elements in seeking to accomplish the highest good. Pieper

believes that these virtuousnesss are necessary in order for a human being to carry through

the Christian image of adult male. These virtuousnesss exercise a individual? s moral,

religious, emotional, and physical ego. Every virtuousness has its ain importance

with prudence being the most of import, or female parent of all virtuousnesss. The order of

importance of these virtuousnesss is as follows, from most to least of import:

prudence, justness, fortitude, and moderation. To analyze these virtuousnesss we began

with the virtuousness of prudence and worked our manner down. We began to recognize that

these virtuousnesss are really dependent on the virtuousnesss that are above in importance.

For illustration, fortitude depends on prudence and justness. You can non hold

fortitude without first accomplishing prudence and justness. This differentiation makes

these virtuousnesss really interesting and as a consequence presents a strong instance as to why

they are important for human existences to possess. The ability to achieve all of these

virtuousnesss is something that all worlds should endeavor for because it would be to

the best for society. In the undermentioned I will analyse each virtuousness individually and

demo how they all tie together to organize the? Christian image of man. ? First I

will get down with the most of import virtuousness of them all, prudence, and so travel

on to justness, fortitude, and eventually moderation. The first and most of import

virtuousness is the virtuousness of prudence. This is known as the female parent of all virtuousnesss

because it is the first measure towards working to go a good homo being.

? ? none but the prudent adult male can be merely, brave, and temperate, and the good

adult male is good in so far as he is prudent. ? This quotation mark here is the best

account that can be given to demo the importance of prudence to the

Christian philosophy of adult male. From this quotation mark we see that prudence is necessary in

order for a human being to be merely, brave, and temperate. The ground prudence is

so important is because it is the ability to do good determinations. In order for a

human being to be able to do good determinations he or she must be able to cognize

what is good and what is non good. There is a really particular relationship between

the virtuousness of prudence and the thought of good. ? Classical Christian moralss

maintains that adult male can be prudent and good merely at the same time ; that prudence is

portion and package of the definition of goodness. ? It is really of import for one

to understand this unique relationship between prudence and the thought of

goodness. One can non hold one without the other. Prudence is the whole thought of

one being able to acknowledge what is good and ever be able to move in the good

manner. We will see subsequently how this relationship is besides really critical to the virtuousness of

justness. The virtuousness of prudence is the hardest to achieve due to the fact that a

human being must be able to acknowledge what is good. This makes it necessary for

the individual to besides be able to cognize what is good and what constitutes what good

is. This is non something that we can all be able to make overnight ; the ability

to cognize what is good is something that can merely be attained through moral and

merely thought. When a individual begins to acknowledge the good and act in moral and

merely ways, that is when he or she has attained the virtuousness of prudence and has

go a prudent human being. It has been necessary for me to utilize the words merely

and moral because one can non speak about prudence without adverting everything

it deals with. Although justness is the following virtuousness in the order and is dependent

on prudence, one must still utilize the construct of justness when explicating prudence

because that is what prudence is, merely actions. ? ? there is no kind of

justness and fortitude which runs counter to the virtuousness of prudence ; and that the

unfair adult male has been imprudent earlier and is imprudent at the minute he is

unjust. ? Here, Pieper makes it clear to us that an imprudent adult male will be

unjust in his actions. To demo how of import prudence is to the Christian image

of adult male, Pieper states the followers: ? Prudence is the cause of the other

virtuousnesss? being virtuousnesss at all. ? Well, I have already explained that for a

individual to carry through the Christian image of adult male he or she must foremost achieve the

four central virtuousnesss. And if prudence is the cause of the other three virtuousnesss,

so it must be the footing of the Christian image of adult male. If prudence is the

footing of the Christian image of adult male, it is really of import for every homo being

to seek to go prudent so that he or she can go a individual of goodness.

After stating all that, it becomes clear that the Christian image of adult male is an

image that calls for human existences to be good. This is why the most important portion

of achieving the four virtuousnesss is being able to acknowledge and cognize what the good

is. ? Prudence is the? step? of justness, of fortitude, of moderation. ?

This is besides really of import because it shows how justness, fortitude, and

moderation are non merely dependent on prudence ; they are besides measured by

prudence. What Pieper means when he says measured is this: ? ..the edict of

prudence is the paradigm and the preexistent signifier of which all ethically good

action is the transcript. ? In other words a good action becomes merely, brave,

and temperate due to the edict of prudence. This goes back to what I was stating

about the good and prudence ; the relationship is that? whatever is good must

foremost have been prudent. ? Since prudence calls for the individual to be able to

acknowledge the good, a individual must so hold cognition about world. The

cognition of world is of import because one must be able to cognize what is good

in a state of affairs. In order for a individual to be able to make this he or she must

understand the rules of ground and the singulars with which ethical action

is concerned. I believe that all of these actions and realisations are at that place so

that a individual may be able to happen the merely action. This will so take me to the

following virtuousness in order, which is the virtuousness of justness. The virtuousness of justness is

the following virtuousness in line of importance. This virtuousness is really dependent on the

virtuousness of prudence for many obvious grounds. The virtuousness of justness is one which

calls for individuals to give other individuals what is due to them. An unfair individual is

one who takes or withholds something that belongs to person else. ? All merely

order in the universe is based on this: that adult male give adult male what is his due. ? Above

we saw how justness was closely tied to prudence. I besides explained how prudence

is a virtuousness, which teaches worlds to cognize the good. ? Justice is something that

comes 2nd: right comes before justice. ? This piece of text explains the

construct of right comes before justness. As we have seen justness is a virtuousness,

which depends on prudence, and prudence is the ability to acknowledge what is

right. Once a individual understands this, it becomes apparent as to why prudence

precedes justness. Justice asks the human individual to move justly ; before a individual

can make that he or she must cognize what is right. Prudence is what teaches us what

the right and good are and so a individual can go merely. This is really alone

amongst all of the virtuousnesss, the fact that one facet of a virtuousness affects the

following virtuousness in line. This really alone relationship shows the importance of

worlds being to the full moral. A individual can non move rightly while imprudent ; this is

impossible. Once a individual becomes prudent so he or she can travel on to move

rightly. Justice states that adult male must have what is his due. This claim has

caused much contention on how do we cognize, as worlds, what is our due. One of

the replies that Pieper gives is based on the fact that adult male is given certain

rights through creative activity. ? It is through creative activity that the created being first

comes to hold his rights. ? This does non intend that God owes us certain rights

for being created ; God does non owe us anything, it is the fellow worlds who

must give each other what it truly theirs. All worlds, as a community, must

acknowledge what is ours and must non conflict on anybody else? s belongings. This

is where justness plays its most of import function in society. Justice is at that place so

that we do non ache each other by non handling each other reasonably. Justice, in

its basic signifier, keeps all worlds cognizant of the fact that

we all have rights and

must esteem each other? s rights. For illustration: if I am asked by another individual

to make a certain occupation for him for a specific sum of money and we do this

through common understanding, so that individual is obliged to pay me. There are many

other factors that play a function in this state of affairs, nevertheless sing that I do

the occupation to carry through what we agreed on, so that individual owes me a certain due. It

is unfair if that individual does non pay what he promised me if I gave him what I

said I would. This really simple state of affairs brings justness in to play, and justness

is the ground that I now have something due to me. If that individual is a merely

individual so he will pay me. Humans trade with each other in mundane life in many

state of affairss. Usually justness is the basic component that builds trust between

persons. If I see person act in an unfair mode so I will non be

inclined to swear that individual. In order for us to swear and esteem each other

we must larn to be merely with one another. Once a individual develops the impression to

act rightly and non seek to ache another individual, so he or she has taken a large

measure frontward towards carry throughing the Christian image of adult male. Then it becomes

necessary to travel on and seek to develop and achieve the following virtuousness towards

going a Christian homo, which is fortitude. I will now travel on to explicate

what fortitude is and its function in the procedure of going a Christian being. I

will besides demo how this virtuousness is dependent on the old two, prudence and

justness. This following virtuousness, fortitude, is the 1 that interested me the most in

our survey of the four virtuousnesss. The ground it interested me so much is because of

what it explains in human existences? actions. The virtuousness of fortitude is the 1

virtuousness that trades with agony and hurt ; but trades with it in a mode where

it justifies worlds? decease in certain state of affairss. This may sound really

complicated ; but it is truly really simple and is important in the procedure of

carry throughing the ideal Christian image of adult male. Fortitude is the preparedness to give

up 1s life, suffer hurt, and be brave in the name of something that is merely

and moral. ? Fortitude is fundamentally readiness to decease or, more accurately,

preparedness to fall, to decease, in battle. ? However, the conflict must be one that is

for a merely and moral cause. If a human believes that there is unfairness and

immorality in any kind, so he or she must contend against the unfairness and

immorality no affair how much hurting and agony they face. The ultimate trial of

fortitude would be decease for a good cause. I have already written a short paper

on this specific issue. Death is considered to be the ultimate trial of fortitude

due to the fact that a human faces the biggest fright in life, which is decease.

Pieper explains to us that fright is non perceived as a bad thing, in fact it is

an of import facet of fortitude. When a human being is enduring hurt in the

name of God, he or she does non make it merely for the interest of the hurt. Peoples

who withstand hurting, agony, and finally decease do it for the thought that they

can non populate in a society where unfairness is O.K. This does non intend that a

sufferer perceives life as of small worth ; a sufferer faces an outstanding fright of

come ining the unknowable for the thought that humans must non populate amongst

unfairness. Worlds must be able to acknowledge any type of unfairness around them

and act to alter that unfairness into the good. God puts us on Earth so that we

may populate merely, moral, and good lives. This is non possible unless we all

acknowledge the good and devote ourselves to extinguishing unfairness and immorality.

When a adult male is ready to give up his life for a good cause, this should state the

remainder of society that we must non travel on with unfairness as a portion of life. Worlds

hold the power to go good work forces and adult females through merely and moral thought. If

a individual gives up his or her life for a cause, so this should state us that

something is incorrect and it must be altered. When a individual gives up his or her

life for something, this means that the individual was non able to travel on life

sing the immorality and unfairness that was happening. Many of the

unfairnesss that occur in today? s society are due to worlds non cognizing or

understanding the demand to cognize ourselves and be able to grok what is good

non merely for ourselves but for the remainder of society. Many times these unfairnesss

occur due to worlds non being able to command their desires, which leads to

unneeded beliefs and actions. The concluding virtuousness of moderation is the 1 that

trades with the issue of desire. This following virtuousness attempts to explicate how worlds

demand to be in order for us to carry through the Christian image of adult male. I will now

move on to briefly speak about this virtuousness and demo its importance in the procedure

of going an ideal Christian. Temperance is a virtuousness that we have non studied

every bit closely as the other three. This virtue trades with the hard undertaking of

worlds being able to give things for our well being. The chief subject of

moderation is altruistic self-preservation. What this means is that worlds must be

able to move in good mode for their ain good. For illustration, if I love to eat

cocoa and make it everyday, I must be able to command my desire for cocoa

be cognizing that it is for my ain benefit every bit good as to the benefit of society.

It may sound strange that me non eating excessively much cocoa will profit society,

nevertheless this is a really basic illustration. Whenever worlds consume excessively much of

something non merely are they impacting their ain egos, they are besides impacting

the remainder of society. We live in a state where nutrient and drinks are non that

difficult to happen ; in fact we have excessively much of it and blow a batch of it. While we are

blowing all this nutrient, there are people in other parts of the universe whom

sometimes travel a whole twenty-four hours without anything healthy to eat. This is a perfect

illustration of the type of unfairnesss we are populating amongst. Temperance Teachs

worlds to cognize themselves and hold interior cognition of what they truly

? demand? and what we consume. Worlds must understand that we can be altruistic

or selfish. If we act egotistically so we are non caring about the remainder of society

and are merely looking to delight ourselves merely. On the other manus, a selfless

individual is one who recognizes that there are other people around us and

understand that whatever we do may impact the remainder of society. ? For adult male there

are two manners of this turning toward the ego: a selfless and a selfish one.

Merely the former makes for self-preservation ; the latter is destructive. ? This

piece of text shows the fact that the exclusive thing that can throw a individual into

devastation is the ego. In other words it is our self-being that controls what

happens around us. If we want to populate in a merely, moral, and good society so

our self-being can see that this occurs. ? Most hard to hold on is the fact

that it is so the indispensable human ego that is capable of throwing itself

into upset to the point of self-destruction. ? This is the 1 unique and

distinguishable point in the virtuousness of moderation. This virtuousness is the lone virtuousness that

trades with the human ego. ? Temperantia is distinguished from the other

central virtuousnesss by the fact that it refers entirely to the active adult male

himself. Prudence looks to all existing world ; justness to the fellow adult male ; the

adult male of fortitude relinquishes, in self-forgetfulness, his ain ownerships and

his life. Temperance, on the other manus, purposes at each adult male himself. ? To sum

things up, I have tried to demo how a individual who attains these four cardinal

virtuousnesss can go the ideal Christian being. This does non intend you have to be

Christian in order to achieve these virtuousnesss, because when we say the ideal

Christian being, we mean a good individual. All worlds who attain these four virtuousnesss

are people who have dedicated their self-being and life to make what God asks from

all of us. What I have tried to demo is how these four virtuousnesss are distinguishable from

each other but yet so dependent and connected with one another. Worlds must

understand that we are non populating our lives so that we may bask pleasance and

wealth at the disbursal of the remainder of society. We are all on Earth together and

everything we do affects each other. Therefore we must seek our hardest to merely

involve ourselves in good action ; in this manner our action will impact the remainder of

society in merely a good mode. I have besides tried to show the importance of

understanding what the good is. Worlds are good in nature ; sometimes it is our

milieus that make us move amorally and in a bad manner. This is why it is

necessary to ever seek and maintain a good surrounding. This can be achieved if all

worlds attain the four central virtuousnesss. Therefore, in order to populate in a

society that is full of nil but justness, morality, and good ; we must all

work towards carry throughing the Christian image of adult male. This can be achieved merely

by achieving the? Four Cardinal Virtues. ?