On the importance of virtue

Last week I wrote about a debate I attended in Alabama at Jacksonville State University.  The debate centered on the question of whether strict capitalism can promote virtue without the help of the government.  I concluded my post discussing how neither can truly promote virtue because modern culture does not understand virtue.  I would like to revisit the same topic.

What is virtue?

Well, it is the opposite of vice.  To be rid of vice, virtue must be put in its place; a bad habit replaced by a good one.  Okay, simple enough, so why do I claim thatsociety does not understand it?  We have not been conditioned to understand.  Obtaining virtue is not a simple act, and behaving virtuously is far from spontaneous. It requires a steady formation, beginning in childhood, over time and with much effort.  Growing in virtue is a workout for the conscience and it must be cultivated. One must be trained to choose virtue despite being predisposed to vice (original sin).

At this point, it is easy to say, “But not everyone is religious! They cannot all follow your set of virtues!”

Oh, but they can, and here is why: truth is truth.

Now, the debate to be had over what truth is, and how we live by it, has been going on since the beginning of time and I do not expect to answer that in a blog post that is capped at 400 words. To do so would be silly, unrealistic and a disservice to the topic of virtue. Yet, I am allowed to attempt.

Society does not understand itself. That is blatantly obvious, but the cause of that misunderstanding is more important than the outcome. The root of the issue is the total crumbling of the foundation of humanity.  The lack of philosophical understanding of the nature of man is abysmal and has caused the destruction and misunderstanding of mankind.

There are many dangerous ideas causing the decline of society. Among the most detrimental, in my opinion, is the quantification of economics, about which I’ve written before.  With utilitarian mathematics forming the backbone of economics, it is a small wonder we humans treat one other the way we do.  Utilitarianism fosters citizens who use others only for personal gain. The dignity of being human—of having an intellect and a free will—is forgotten and eventually lost.  Without both, we are nothing more than upright walking mammals and we are becoming a soulless society.