Hello everything is fine? I am Professor Leandro Cordioli, and today, in another of our "Two Minutes of Philosophy", we are going to talk about the four cardinal virtues. Have you heard of them?
Today, in the two minutes of philosophy, we will see what these virtues are. Don't forget to subscribe to the channel and activate the bell to be notified about future videos I will upload. I have a lot of interesting content about theories of justice, philosophy of law and natural law.
Without further delay, let our clock begin! Are there four virtues that are main? The thesis of the four cardinal virtues began with Plato, in Ancient Greece.
Plato proposed that there were four fundamental virtues for any human being to develop and become a good and virtuous person. In other words, these virtues are main to the extent that no one can be happy or fully develop as a human being without them. Aristotle, although he does not have a specific defense of the cardinal virtues in his Nicomachean Ethics, often mentions them in his ethical journey.
Finally, Thomas Aquinas, in the first section of the second part of his Summa Theologiae, in question 61, proposed the four cardinal virtues, stating that they are fundamental, as they dominate the main inclinations of human beings, enabling us to act morally. The first of these virtues is prudence, which is the virtue of practical reason. Thomas Aquinas believes that it is the main one, as prudence or wisdom shows us truly good ends and intelligent ways of pursuing them, taking into account the circumstances.
On the other hand, our reason can end up serving our emotional and sentimental inclinations. Therefore, it is also necessary to develop moral virtues. Thomas Aquinas says that we need a virtue that moderates us in relation to the things that attract us and another that moderates us in relation to the things that repel us.
Therefore, in addition to prudence, it is necessary to develop temperance, which moderates us in relation to pleasures, and fortitude, which gives us courage and strength to face the dangers and challenges of life. Finally, we must also develop justice, which regulates our intersubjective relationships, that is, in relation to other subjects. Justice prevents our reason from going astray when dealing with others.
An important point to highlight is that we cannot develop a virtue in isolation. For example, we cannot fully develop prudence or justice without developing the other virtues. This leads to the so-called "connection of the virtues", a thesis accepted by both Plato, Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas.
These were our "Two Minutes of Philosophy". I hope you enjoyed it and learned something about ethics. It is not enough to be sensible, it is also necessary to seek to develop the virtues of courage, temperance and justice.
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And if you want to know more about the cardinal virtues, be sure to read the Summa Theologiae, first section of the second part, question 61, where Thomas Aquinas deals with these virtues. A hug and have a good week! These are the votes of Professor Leandro Cordioli.
