the.com/virtue
morality's flex, only impressive when nobody's watching you do it
means A trait of good moral character — honesty, courage, kindness — or the general quality of being morally good.
from From Latin 'virtus,' meaning manliness, worth, or excellence — itself built on 'vir,' a man. To the Romans, virtus first meant the valor expected of a soldier; over centuries it softened from battlefield grit into moral goodness as it passed through Old French 'vertu' into English. A faint cousin lingers in 'virile,' which kept the muscle while 'virtue' kept the conscience.
- latin root
- virtus meant manliness and courage, not piety
- aristotle's take
- a habit, not a feeling, built by repetition
- seven of them
- medievals listed seven to counter seven sins
- signaling
- performing virtue publicly often undermines the actual thing
- machiavelli
- redefined virtu as ruthless skill, not goodness
stoicism — philosophy founded by zeno of citium around 300 bce emphasizing virtue as the highest good
benjamin franklin's 13 virtues — personal list including temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, humilit
cardinal virtues — four virtues in platonic philosophy: prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude