WHAT IS VIRTUE?

I was going through some articles of my interest, and look what I found! “VIRTUE” VIVIDLY EXPLAINED. Virtue has always been a quality cherished by mankind for ages and many philosophers and theologians have given lengthy discourses on this. Among the many summations of the meaning of VIRTUE, the following summary of virtue are outstanding, which I would not rest in peace until I share this and its pragmatic implications with friends who have the capacity to think. It goes like this’

“A virtue is a right inner disposition, and a disposition is a tendency to act in certain ways. Disposition is more basic, lasting and pervasive than the particular motive or intention behind a certain action. It differs from a sudden impulse in being a settled habit of mind, an internalized and often reflective trait. Virtues are general character traits that provide inner sanctions on our particular motives, intentions and outward conduct.
There are many key ideas in this definition, but for our purposes here I want to focus on two. First, a virtue is a tendency, stemming from who you are at your core level, to act in certain ways. Second, it is not simply, therefore, an impulse, good or bad, but rather a settled habit of mind. Third, it has a function of providing judgment on motives and outward actions. Virtues, then, relate to who we are as people; our character. (Ethics: Approving Moral Decisions, Contours of Christian Philosophy, ed. C. Stephen Evans ) as quoted by Greg Henry in his article “Virtues leading to Chistlikeness.”

In Plato’s Republic, Socrates explains them through a doctrine of the three parts of the soul, suggesting that a person is prudent when knowledge of how to live (wisdom) informs her reason, courageous when informed reason governs her capacity for wrath, temperate when it also governs her appetites, and just when each part performs its proper tasks with informed reason in control.” (Jorge L. A. Garcia, “Cardinal Virtues,” in The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy,)

In one of the dialogues of Plato, entitled “Meno” Socrates pushed Meno so hard to extract the meaning of Virtue from all his learning, and finally when Meno failed to give the meaning, Socrates, using his powerful method of teaching, popularly known as “Socratic method” convinced him that Virtue is something that can be learned. Meno yielded and agreed. Further, Socrates explained him that everything which can be learned is “Knowledge.” Therefore, VIRTUE is KNOWLEDGE. This is the point Plato wanted to proof in that Dialogue by putting the argument in Socrates’ mouth.

A few weeks ago I have uploaded a piece of my mind entitled, “BREAD FOR THOUGHT” on some pages of face book where I said, “Indeed, knowledge is the master of all human activities, both individual and social.” The two quotes given above and the lesson I learned from reading “Meno” in the Dialogue of Plato, all boils down to what I have said. Man or woman without knowledge cannot contribute anything good to the society he or she is living in except nuisance and unnecessary crowd at the expense of the few who have knowledge of one kind or the other. Then a person without knowledge for living is overcome by the negative developments of Sigmund Freud’s inference on the study of “Psychosexual development” of the Children. The effects are, 1. Oral gratification 2. Sexual gratification, 3. Messiness, and disorganization. The oral gratification leads to drinking alcohol, Smoking, gluttony, and substance abuse. Sexual gratification leads to fornication, orgies, and various forms of immoral sexual activities. And the third effect leads to lack of cleanliness, orderliness, etc. With proper knowledge of child rearing during the age of 0 to 13 years, these negative effects could be reduced to a great extend.

Now, knowing the economic, social, and literacy status of the tribals of the northeast India, we cannot think of any other cause except the finding of Freud. Among all the knowledge, “Fear of the Lord” is the greatest. For this very reason God says, “4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.[a] 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” For God knows that once this commandment is seated in the heart, the rest will happen as Jesus has said, “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (John 14:25-26). With social and scientific knowledge, we can attain a higher standard of life, but the chaos arising out of our moral insolence cannot be subdued. Only fear of God leads to decent life at any living standard.
Are we living the ways God wants us to live? If not, why don’t we obey God and forget the predicaments being faced in Ukhrul town? In God, there is solution for all problems.

By:

David L Shimray

M.A Ch. Education (USA)

M.A Philosophy (USA)