NationStates Jolt Archive

I was going through a list of virtues (mostly because I'm strange like that) and the thought occured to me of which was the one that has the greatest value. I'm just currious as to what other opinions are to the idea of the "greatest virtue."

I don't know. Psychotic rage maybe?

Is honesty one, becaue honesty is nice.

Individualism?

Aestheticism?

Abstinance?

Who knows.....just my top three...

virtuosity?

Individualism?

Aestheticism?

Abstinance?

Who knows.....just my top three...

Aestheticism a virtue? Meh. I guess looks can be a virtue.


Honor. Says it all, no honor, no nuttin.

Rationality above all else.
Thereafter comes maniacalness.

humility

compassion

loyalty

love

Aestheticism a virtue? Meh. I guess looks can be a virtue.


Honor. Says it all, no honor, no nuttin.

Dammit. I meant that other thing, the one where you eat hardly anything and abstain from all worldly pleasures. WTF is that again

UPDATE: Asceticism!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asceticism

Is honesty one, becaue honesty is nice.

I guess whatever you see as a virtue can be one. And I agree, honesty is very nice:p


Individualism?

Aestheticism?

Abstinance?

Who knows.....just my top three...

Those do seem rather interesting to be you top three virtues. I was wondering if you could explain that a bit, perhaps?



Honor. Says it all, no honor, no nuttin.


I like that idea..honor. Too many people don't seemed concerend with honor anymore, but the again, I think honor is also a lot of perception.

I guess whatever you see as a virtue can be one. And I agree, honesty is very nice:p

.

It's not as nice as psychotic rage, but it's ok.

I was going through a list of virtues (mostly because I'm strange like that) and the thought occured to me of which was the one that has the greatest value. I'm just currious as to what other opinions are to the idea of the "greatest virtue."

shouldnt you provide us with that list so we wont overlook any?

love.

UPDATE: Asceticism!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asceticism

Ooo that! that makes much more sense now.:p

shouldnt you provide us with that list so we wont overlook any?

love.

I thought about providing the list, but it's so subjectional that I didn't want to limit it to this this and that. I'd be happy to provide it though, I just wasn't sure if they had left some out and I figured this way there would be more openmindedness and opinions, which in turn makes for good discussions.;)

Those do seem rather interesting to be you top three virtues. I was wondering if you could explain that a bit, perhaps?

Individualism shows you have a free-thinking mind and at least a minor amount of willpower, to resist the tide of the human herd.

Abstinence is another show of willpower, avoiding sex, eating, NSG or whatever you normally do shows resilience and the mind's mastery of the body

Aesceticism (not aestheticism-typo) Is the ultimate show of the force of willpower.

So if I had to pick my one valued virtue I guess it would be the power of the will

I was going through a list of virtues (mostly because I'm strange like that) and the thought occured to me of which was the one that has the greatest value. I'm just currious as to what other opinions are to the idea of the "greatest virtue."

My thoughts are that there are two basic motivations for human behavior: love, and fear. All virtues come from love, and all vices come from fear.

So naturally the 'greatest virtue' whould be perfect, unselfish, unconditional love (often called charity, as in the scripture quoted below). This is the greatest virtue, and the virtue in which all others find their roots.



And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. (Moroni 7:45-47 (http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/7/45-47#45))

Individualism shows you have a free-thinking mind and at least a minor amount of willpower, to resist the tide of the human herd.

Abstinence is another show of willpower, avoiding sex, eating, NSG or whatever you normally do shows resilience and the mind's mastery of the body

Aesceticism (not aestheticism-typo) Is the ultimate show of the force of willpower.

So if I had to pick my one valued virtue I guess it would be the power of the will

Can the power of the will be a virtue? I mean, virtues are normally moral excelence, morality, how does power of the will fit into that? Don't get me wrong it's still a great thing, and quite frankly, something we could all work on. But will power is not specifying any ethic or ideal really. I guess a more relevant question would be what is the best virtue to activly practice.

Aestheticism a virtue? Meh. I guess looks can be a virtue.
Isn't Aestheticism more the ability to appreciate beauty, as opposed to being beautiful? Or is aestheticism even a word?

My main virtue would be Perception, followed closely by Contemplation.
Just exist, pay attention, and drink everything in. Sort of like Hedonism, except that you should also seek out pain and misery, because they enrich your experience and make pleasure all the sweeter.
Then you have to think about what you've experienced, because otherwise everything is just meaningless and superficial (and that sort of life would lose all its thrill within a decade or so).

Individualism shows you have a free-thinking mind and at least a minor amount of willpower, to resist the tide of the human herd.

Abstinence is another show of willpower, avoiding sex, eating, NSG or whatever you normally do shows resilience and the mind's mastery of the body

Aesceticism (not aestheticism-typo) Is the ultimate show of the force of willpower.

So if I had to pick my one valued virtue I guess it would be the power of the will

(I know im quoting myself STFU)

If you think about it many other virtues have a lot to do with willpower. Forgiveness is using the power of your will to overcome the primitive revenge impulses of the more savage parts of the mind. Love especially unconditional love, is associated with the will, whereas lust is the animal sex-drive taking control of the mind. Forcing yourself to be a more attractive and amiable person in order to attract a partner is a force of the will over the body.

Can the power of the will be a virtue? I mean, virtues are normally moral excelence, morality, how does power of the will fit into that? Don't get me wrong it's still a great thing, and quite frankly, something we could all work on. But will power is not specifying any ethic or ideal really. I guess a more relevant question would be what is the best virtue to activly practice.

What is morality? Doing what is right instead of what is wrong? Murder, Rape, Cheating, Lying, swindling, exploitation All are natural things for humans to do. Simply being a morally upstanding person requires will.

I would consider willpower the Phronesis(practical mind) catagory

Dry humping. *nod*

love (as in 1 Corinthians 13:4) the world would be tons better. ;)

love (as in 1 Corinthians 13:4) the world would be tons better. ;)

Yeah, that too.

Love. Hands down, no question, the best thing anyone can do ever is love. All the other good stuff comes out of love in one way or another.

Love.

What is morality? Doing what is right instead of what is wrong? Murder, Rape, Cheating, Lying, swindling, exploitation All are natural things for humans to do. Simply being a morally upstanding person requires will.

I don't think things like murder, rape, cheating, lying, swindling, and explotation are all natural things humans do. For murder, I don't think we were intended to kill people just because we wanted to. Perhaps in self defense or in self preservation, but not just because we merely wanted them dead. Rape? Sex is a natural thing intended to reprodution, but if I remember right, most animals don't force their partners. Same with cheating, lying and all the rest, they may have some natrual base, but we've turned them around. And it also requires will power to do bad things, it all depends on your point of view and what environment your in. It takes more will to be morally upstanding around those who aren't. I guess what I'm getting at is that while all virtues do require will, it's not quite a virtue in itself. It's rather similar to (forgive the similie) the force in star wars, it can be used either for bad or good, but it's how you use it that counts.

I don't think things like murder, rape, cheating, lying, swindling, and explotation are all natural things humans do. For murder, I don't think we were intended to kill people just because we wanted to. Perhaps in self defense or in self preservation, but not just because we merely wanted them dead. Rape? Sex is a natural thing intended to reprodution, but if I remember right, most animals don't force their partners. Same with cheating, lying and all the rest, they may have some natrual base, but we've turned them around. And it also requires will power to do bad things, it all depends on your point of view and what environment your in. It takes more will to be morally upstanding around those who aren't. I guess what I'm getting at is that while all virtues do require will, it's not quite a virtue in itself. It's rather similar to (forgive the similie) the force in star wars, it can be used either for bad or good, but it's how you use it that counts.

Very true, in a morally upright society(if one exists) you would not be exercising any will to remain moral. I disagree with your stance on vice, I believe that all if not most vices are natural entities. Murder is common among almost all social animals, Chimps kill each other over territory, leadership, food, etc. Male lions kill cubs that do not carry their genes. solitary females of almost any mammalian species are raped, sometimes in close proximity to giving birth. Violence is a very natural thing. I guess will can either be a virtue or a vice, depending on how it is used.

But other virtues can become vices as well, Pride is an aristotlian virtue, yet in christian tradition it is a vice. Confidence is a christian virtue, but can't it become arrogance? Assertiveness is another virtue, but it can't become stubborness, a vice?

Very true, in a morally upright society(if one exists) you would not be exercising any will to remain moral. I disagree with your stance on vice, I believe that all if not most vices are natural entities. Murder is common among almost all social animals, Chimps kill each other over territory, leadership, food, etc. Male lions kill cubs that do not carry their genes. solitary females of almost any mammalian species are raped, sometimes in close proximity to giving birth. Violence is a very natural thing. I guess will can either be a virtue or a vice, depending on how it is used.

But other virtues can become vices as well, Pride is an aristotlian virtue, yet in christian tradition it is a vice. Confidence is a christian virtue, but can't it become arrogance? Assertiveness is another virtue, but it can't become stubborness, a vice?

Perhaps violence is a naturall thing, but my own personal beliefs dictate that violence is (in most cases, there a few where I could possibly see it justifyable) wrong and unnecessary. To me, it seems that if we are so supperior, can't we find better ways than things like violence murder and rape?
True, some virtues can become vices, but confidence and arrogance are two separate things, just as assertiveness and stubborness are two different things. It's about knowing what not to take too far so that it become what it should not be. Just because they can transform into a vice from a virtue doesn't make them that vice. As to pride being both a vice and virtue, there you go back to what point of view your looking at it from. Aristotle believed that god was responsible for the physical universe, but Christianity differs in that everything comes from God and nothing is possible without God. Taking that into account, to Aritotle, it is a virtue to be proud of something you have done yourself, but in Christianity, everything from talent to materials can be described as a gift from God, as nothing that is truly done on your own merit. In the case of Christianity, pride is a vice because as whatever you give pride to is not done on your merit alone, it is claiming something that was not possible without God as your own.

humility
compassion
loyalty
love
As well as

reason,
understanding,
temperance,
prudence,
courage,
justice,
generosity,
goodwill,
truthiness (truthfulness),
friendliness,
the ability to recognize fellow earthlings as equal humans,
hope,
faith, spirituality and piety,
mercy,
empathy,
awareness and self-awareness,
innocence,
respect- and tactfulness,
confidence,
trustworthiness,
creativity and curiousity,
diligence,
fairness,
humor,
unselfishness, helpfulness and hospitality,
idealism,
kindness,
openess,
imagination,
peacefulness and nonviolence.

Yes, those are good virtues. I'm sure I could think of more. It was hard enough to find the English counterparts.

And I thought of another one:

patience :D

I was going through a list of virtues (mostly because I'm strange like that) and the thought occured to me of which was the one that has the greatest value. I'm just currious as to what other opinions are to the idea of the "greatest virtue."

puppy dog like loyallty and honesty..for starters...hehe

Honor. Says it all, no honor, no nuttin.What conception of honor do you have in mind? Honor has killed a lot of people in its days. At a time honor demanded an insult be cleansed by the blade. It still, in some places, demands a father to kill his daughter if she's raped.
Honor can be both virtuous and vicious.

The best and brightest virtue is the holding in of rightuas anger, even when the pricks fully deserve it.:rolleyes:

Humour

As well as

reason,
understanding,
temperance,
prudence,
courage,
justice,
generosity,
goodwill,
truthiness (truthfulness),
friendliness,
the ability to recognize fellow earthlings as equal humans,
hope,
faith, spirituality and piety,
mercy,
empathy,
awareness and self-awareness,
innocence,
respect- and tactfulness,
confidence,
trustworthiness,
creativity and curiousity,
diligence,
fairness,
humor,
unselfishness, helpfulness and hospitality,
idealism,
kindness,
openess,
imagination,
peacefulness and nonviolence.

Yes, those are good virtues. I'm sure I could think of more. It was hard enough to find the English counterparts.

*very much agrees* :)
[/is too tired to elaborate more...]

*very much agrees* :)
[/is too tired to elaborate more...]
Thanks!
And I couldn't even pick single one to be greatest. Well, love. But beside that one it starts getting a little tricky...

(I know im quoting myself STFU)

If you think about it many other virtues have a lot to do with willpower. Forgiveness is using the power of your will to overcome the primitive revenge impulses of the more savage parts of the mind. Love especially unconditional love, is associated with the will, whereas lust is the animal sex-drive taking control of the mind. Forcing yourself to be a more attractive and amiable person in order to attract a partner is a force of the will over the body.

Will -> Stubborn -> Pride

ergo, virtues are sins.

Funk.

Please ignore this thread - I answered in the wrong one.

(I didn't want to gravedig!)