In the previous lecture, I introduced four virtues. This is actually half the story, for they are normally always referred to as the Seven Cardinal Virtues.
The theory of the Seven Cardinal Virtues, prudence, justice, temperance, courage on the one hand and, faith, hope, and charity on the other hand,
are rooted in Western Christian tradition, particularly influenced by classical Greek philosophy, notably Plato and Aristotle, and integrated into Christian theology by figures like Thomas Aquinas.
While the concept of "Seven Cardinal Virtues" does not exist in all cultures, the ideas they represent are nearly universal and can be found in various forms across different cultures and philosophies.
This shows to me that homo sapiens actually knows perfectly well, what it means to be a good HUMAN being. In other words, he has the roadmap to a world of peace and welfare for all in his pocket.
But it is clear, that he still too often lacks the capability to read the map or secretively prefers to take a shortcut at the cost of the other travelers thus creating traffic accidents.
Why and how this happens we'll get to later, when we'll discuss the "virtue" of stupidity, which unfortunately is also a quality of homo sapiens.
It may be the case that a man like Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274) integrated the Ancient Greek's ideas into Christian theology and thus created the concept of "The Seven Cardinal Virtues",
it is the merit of Homo sapiens himself and his thinking about who he is or should be to arrive at a reasonable answer to the question "Why am I here?", and not of Christian theology.
And this brings me back to why I distinguish between the first four and the next three virtues. These next three are faith, hope, and charity. These are not related to the Ancient Greeks' philosophical tradition but were "invented" by the catholic bishop Augustine (354- 430).
These three virtues are a theological addition and I find that questionable. The reason is, as I have said before, the difference between theology and philosophy is,
that theology begins with the answers and philosophy begins with the questions and from that perspective, I look at these virtues, faith, hope, and charity.
With Hope I have no problem as long as it refers to our power to stay optimistic and positive, also in bad times. However, it gets problematic for me if it means that we should base this on Trust in God’s salvation and the promise of eternal life. I guess we better stick to ourselves here.
Charity is OK with me too as far as it means unconditional love and kindness toward others. It gets problematic for me if it is added that this reflects God’s love for humanity. He allows Gaza and Ukraine, but he loves you.
What is not a virtue at all of homo sapiens is Faith. Faith should mean a strong belief in God and trust in divine grace. It anchors one’s actions in spiritual truth. Unfortunately, history shows us that these actions are often anchored in blood and carnage.
The seventh virtue of homo sapiens should be Critical Thinking, which would be a merciless willingness to question everything to get to a just balance between facts and actions.
The most dangerous people are those who claim to have the answers......
The floor is yours....thank you......
Main Sources:
MacMillan The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2nd edition
TABLE OF CONTENT -----------------------------------------------------------------
1 - 100 Philosophers 9 May 2009 Start of
2 - 25+ Women Philosophers 10 May 2009 this blog
3 - 25 Adventures in Thinking 10 May 2009
4 - Modern Theories of Ethics 29 Oct 2009
5 - The Ideal State 24 Febr 2010 / 234
6 - The Mystery of the Brain 3 Sept 2010 / 266
7 - The Utopia of the Free Market 16 Febr 2012 / 383
8. - The Aftermath of Neo-liberalism 5 Sept 2012 / 413
9. - The Art Not to Be an Egoist 6 Nov 2012 / 426
10 - Non-Western Philosophy 29 May 2013 / 477
11 - Why Science is Right 2 Sept 2014 / 534
12 - A Philosopher looks at Atheism 1 Jan 2015 / 557
13 - EVIL, a philosophical investigation 17 Apr 2015 / 580
14 - Existentialism and Free Will 2 Sept 2015 / 586
15 - Spinoza 2 Sept 2016 / 615
16 - The Meaning of Life 13 Febr 2017 / 637
17 - In Search of my Self 6 Sept 2017 / 670
18 - The 20th Century Revisited 3 Apr 2018 / 706
19 - The Pessimist 11 Jan 2020 / 819
20 - The Optimist 9 Febr 2020 / 824
21 - Awakening from a Neoliberal Dream 8 Oct 2020 / 872
22 - A World Full of Patterns 1 Apr 2021 / 912
23 - The Concept of Freedom 8 Jan 2022 / 965
24 - Materialism 7 Sept 2022 / 1011
25 - Historical Materialism 5 Oct 2023 / 1088
26 - The Bonobo and the Atheist 9 Jan 2024 / 1102
27 - Artificial Intelligence 9 Feb 2024 / 1108
28 - Why Am I Here 6 Sept 2024 / 1139
[13:24] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): thank you Herman
[13:24] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): aaah
[13:25] bergfrau Apfelbaum: yay super ty Herman
[13:25] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): some good stuff there
[13:25] herman Bergson: thank you :-)
[13:25] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): and true
[13:26] herman Bergson: Seems I left you speechless.....:-)
[13:26] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): have to pick and choose
[13:26] herman Bergson: go ahead Gemma
[13:26] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): culture often chooses for us
[13:27] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): depending on where we live in time and space
[13:27] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): yes
[13:27] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): true
[13:27] herman Bergson: To some extent yes, but as I said...these ideas of what virtues a man should have seem to be universal
[13:28] herman Bergson: so, independeent of culture
[13:28] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): seems so indeed
[13:28] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): the optimal pathway
[13:29] herman Bergson: But if it is about Faith, yes...then you are formed by culture...often
[13:29] herman Bergson: But faith is one of the main causes of war and death on this planet
[13:30] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): Hope is a good one in all times and spaces
[13:30] herman Bergson: and experienced by almost every human being
[13:30] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): keeps one from from terrible issues
[13:30] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): hmm yes
[13:31] herman Bergson: But the hope must be based on self-reliance and belief in one's power
[13:31] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): i think suicide is often the only option for those who lose hope
[13:31] herman Bergson: the next option is charety of others Gemma...
[13:32] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): often too late to help
[13:32] herman Bergson: They may have the hope that the suicidal person resumes critical thinking again
[13:32] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): hmm
[13:32] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): hopefully
[13:32] herman Bergson: yes, unfortunately, yes... :-(
[13:33] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): most who commit suicide keep it all to themselves
[13:33] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): those who talk about it usually can use the charity of others
[13:33] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): and are begging for help
[13:33] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ah
[13:33] bergfrau Apfelbaum: in the hardest times everyone is alone, with themselves.... maybe FAITH means that you should not give up and keep going
[13:34] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): true bergie
[13:34] herman Bergson: yes..
[13:34] herman Bergson: that means hope, keep believing in yourself
[13:34] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): aaa yes that is a good point
[13:35] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): i must ask my friend who is a suicide counselor if loss of hope is one of the issues
[13:35] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): aaa
[13:35] herman Bergson: yes....good point.....
[13:36] herman Bergson: I am curious to learn what his/her answer is
[13:36] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): me too
[13:36] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): aaa yes
[13:36] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): indeed
[13:37] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate) GIGGLES!!
[13:37] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): ...LOL...
[13:37] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): i have to find her /him tho she changes her name in sl a lot and i lose track
[13:37] herman Bergson: My guess is, that the loss of hope, belief in yourself, seeing only a black hole, is killing
[13:37] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): Agree
[13:37] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): true
[13:41] herman Bergson: and thank you all again :-)
[13:41] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): loool
[13:42] herman Bergson: Class dismissed....unless you want to discuss more
[13:42] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): YAY! (yay!)
[13:42] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): ♥ Thank Youuuuuuuuuu!! ♥
[13:45] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): bye all
[13:45] bergfrau Apfelbaum: byebye Gemma :-)
[13:45] herman Bergson: A broken heart, Bergie!
[13:46] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): bye gemma
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