Category: Virtue

Introduction

The questions surrounding moral values have always been topical in the history of humanity. However, in the contemporary environment, these issues have acquired particular importance due to the increasing complexity of the social and political landscapes. Ideas inspired by the dogmas of religion dominated the world for centuries, but the situation has changed. Modern virtues are mostly secular in nature and dictated by the state. While some of them correspond to the paradigm of thought of the Christian worldview, the general policy direction often diverges from previously established values. The purpose of this paper is to examine the secular virtues promoted by the state in the 21st century.

Main body

The issues of morality and values have become the reason for heated debates in the current environment. Therefore, such matters often serve as an area of intense interest for researchers, aiming to compare the prevailing worldview to the previously established paradigms. Macintyre (2007, 6) states that the most striking feature of contemporary moral utterance lies in its focus on expressing disagreements. By the 20th century, humanity became highly militarized, promoting ideas of conflict and fighting to defend the interests of the state. In this regard, the concept of a just war has been introduced and promoted by various states, meaning that fighting for a noble cause is justified. In a way, it remains a virtue of protecting ones soil and interests. However, Macintyre (2007) states that the scale of modern wars and the power of weapons lead to high numbers of civilian casualties, making any war inherently unjustified. Therefore, the concept of holy, just warfare misrepresents the reality of the era.

The idea described above may be viewed in a close connection to the notion of justice. This concept is a multi-faceted one, and it has been central to the contemporary societal discourse. From one perspective, social justice is a matter of paramount importance, as it aims at ensuring equality of people in all aspects. The ideas of the Scripture correspond to this philosophy, as God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Gen. 1:27 English Standard Version). In other words, the Lord does divide people into races or classes, as all are made equal and in his image. Porter (2016) writes that justice is a crucial concept, which, in turn, may transform into the ultimate virtue of charity. Therefore, the ideas of the secular state and the Christian worldview intersect with the notion of justice as a key virtue.

In spite of the predominantly secularized discourse of today, the influence of traditional virtues has persisted. Vincent (2018, 226) confirms that the contemporary moral framework promoted by the state through education retains the signs of a strong influence of religion. However, these religious elements are implicit in the secular environment, being woven into the general paradigm of thought by centuries of philosophical evolution. Similar to the Christian dogmas, the state recognizes the crucial status of human life as a central concept of society (Macintyre 2007). However, this particular point raises controversy because the announced respect for the miracle of life itself often conflicts with the disagreement-centered discourse discussed earlier. This duality is related to the unprecedented complexity of the contemporary social landscape, which allows for various interpretations of the states view of virtues.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the moral framework of humanity has undergone major changes throughout history. While religious philosophy dominated the landscape in previous centuries, the modern age is characterized by the secularization of thought. Nevertheless, the ideas of the Scripture permeate profound levels of public thought, remaining implicitly embedded in modern moral principles. This tendency is reflected in several key virtues taught by the state in the 21st century. Nevertheless, divergences still occur, as observations suggest that the focus of the moral paradigm has shifted toward a conflict-centered one, contributing to the overall controversy surrounding the matter.

References

Macintyre, Alasdair. 2007. After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory. 3^rd ed. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press.

Porter, Jean. 2016. Justice as a Virtue: A Thomistic Perspective. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

Vincent, Carol. 2018. Civic Virtue and Values Teaching in a Post-Secular World. Theory and Research in Education 16 (2): 226-243.

Above all it is thus that we can acquire the virtue of humility, and that is by far more precious treasure than all academic progress. From this point of view, it is perhaps even more useful to contemplate our stupidity than our sin. These words of wisdom imply that the success of learning is not to elevate a persons ego, but rather teach them humility through enhancing their understanding of the world. This appears to be the ultimate outcome of thorough academic engagement that reflects a persons ability to acquire a certain degree of critical thinking and reflexivity. I am inclined to agree with the main idea expressed by the quotation. In my opinion, humility is a virtue that helps an individual become motivated and complete. Through this key quality, one can understand how their grow further in terms of personality. A humble individual will never overestimate their own skills and performance, meaning that they will remain in a constant pursuit of improvement. Furthermore, humility is a virtue that directly counteracts pride as the deadliest of sins. By exercising humility, a person acts by Gods design.

When it comes to this quality, it is often opposed to success in both academics and career. More specifically, one may assume that humility negates confidence, preventing an individual from fulfilling their potential. For example, promising opportunities may be declined by a humble person simply because they do not consider themselves fit for this position. As far I am concerned, this point of view does not reflect the truth. Humility and success are not notion that are mutually exclusive. One the contrary, they complement each other, creating a strong unity, in which humility enables success and does not impede it in any way. In other words, this virtue should be opposed not to confidence but to arrogance. Humility creates room for self-analysis and critical thinking, keeping an individual engaged in the enhancement of their skills. It enables a realistic understanding of the strengths, as well as the points of growth, which ultimately contributes to the natural development of the academic success and career.

In James 4:6, it is said: But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble. This message reflects the aforementioned vision of humility as the primary tool against the pride. The latter feeling is detrimental, it poisons the soul and pushes a person toward rash, unreasonable decisions. A proud person is often disrespectful of others, showing no love or compassion because of their clouded judgment. This characteristic does not align with an image of a successful and educated person that is evoked by Weil. An individual who truly excels in academics, learning the subject in all its depth and complexity will be humble and methodical in their development. This way, they truly fulfill their purpose as the conduits of Gods will favored by the Lord.

No matter how diverse religions and philosophies might be, there always is a common thread with each of them. In every single religion of philosophy, there is a specific code of conduct that is considered to be self-rewarding and is promoted as an example for all adepts to follow.

Though there is a great gap between Confucianism and any other religion  in fact, Confucianism is often referred to rather as philosophy than religion  one can still observe the traces of the above-mentioned common pattern.

Like any other teaching, Confucianism offers the one and only correct code of conduct, which is supposed to help one shape an Ideal person within.

Analyzing some of the aspects of an ideal person concept in Confucianism, one can possibly draw parallels between the Confucian and the Buddhist models of correct conduct.

According to Bresnans interpretation of Confucius postulates, an ideal person from the standpoint of Confucianism is a junzi, or a perfect man. To be more exact, a Confucian ideal person has a strong connection to nature: Man is a part of nature (Bresnan 230).

However, merely being able to relate to nature is not enough to become a truly Confucian ideal of a person; according to the postulates of the teacher, one has to reach the state of a natural order.

Meaning the state of balance between a person and the rest of elements of the universe, the given concept might seem somewhat idealistic. On a second thought, however, the given concept of an ideal person leads to harmony among people, as well as harmony between people and nature.

In addition, a Confucian person is supposed to be dignified and righteous, as well as respectful towards parents and elderly people. Junzi, the gentleman, is, therefore, a man who treats the rest of people with respect, according to Confucius postulates.

Compared to Confucianism, Buddhism offers a rather different picture of an ideal person. Incorporating 36 ideal features of Buddha, the Buddhist concept of an ideal person is defined in much more details.

While the Confucian concept of an ideal person concerns social aspects, such as the treatment of the others, social ranks, etc., the Buddhist concept of a perfect man concerns personal development.

According to Buddhist philosophy, an ideal person is the one who has reached the Enlightenment. Hence, Buddhist concept of a perfect man presupposes that perfection comes from spiritual development rather than from the social one.

Hence, it can be concluded that Confucianism and Buddhist offer rather similar models for personal development.

Since the adepts of both strive for growing into an ideal person, it is clear that the process of learning will never be finished, since there will always be something new to learn as long as one cognizes the world and continues developing.

It could be argued, though, that in Buddhism, it actually is possible to cognize the absolute truth and reach the phase of Enlightenment.

In addition, the Buddhist Eightfold Path is actually split into much more steps; offering 32 stages of personal development, it can be considered a more complicated concept.

However, since both Confucianism and Buddhism strive for offering the path to becoming an ideal person, it must be admitted that both introduce an idealistic approach towards human nature.

Works Cited

Bresnan, Patrick. Confucius and Confucianism. Awakening: An Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. 2012. Print.

The last days of the Socrates refers to a sequence of four conversations by Plato that illustrates the demise as well as the testing of the Socrates. Plato gets the chance to present as well as build up his accountabilitys attitude of a person for his dealings as well as their consequences in their society.

The debate on Socrates trial which was about Euthyphro who had laid blame on his father of assassinating a servant and as well a servant had assaulted another servant. This is the reason as to why the Socrates and the Euthyphro resulted in a dialogue.

It is through this dialogue that the reader gets a bright expression of the Socrates to employ mode of inquiring in order to prod holes a in other peoples declaration. Plato employs his conversation in telling his story concerning the Socrates trial, as well as shielding himself from the charges of deceit as well as the variation of the youths.

Despite his effort to push for the dialogue being put into consideration, the Socrates trial was delayed and this led to him to spend more time in Athens prison. Plato got a friend who was to help him out of prison but the Socrates opposed the argument and thus he had to remain in prison. Due to his royalty, Plato decides not to escape as this would be a betrayal to the Athens as well as causing harm to those he loved.

The wickedness of the spirit is held up by Platos conviction on the Socrates he also argues that demise ought to be part of a philosopher since it is through this that he would get do away with the distraction of the deceased as well as achieving true wisdom.

It is through the dialogue that we are able to have a clear view of what true and false virtues are presented as in this community. Plato is brought out as a fighter in the kind of living that was taking place in the region.

The Euthyphro looked into what godliness was all about as well as the manner in which it could be identified. Platos friend was on the other hand worried about what obligation under law was all about, while phaedo was determined in exploring the soul of the human soul.

Admission of guilt is also an issue to the Socrates and it is clearly elaborated via the Athens way of pleading with the Athens government with an aim of shielding Plato from the accusations of bringing in new spiritual attitudes as well as misleading the younger generations. This according to the government was a false virtue as this was against the beliefs in the region and as well, no one had a right to go against or include what he felt was right in the community.

This portrayed how the Socrates had no right to do whatever they felt was right but instead go by the set laws by the government. Interfering with what the administration of the area felt was the right thing, led to Platos imprisonment.

The dialogue brings Plato as one who loved money as well as someone who was of honor. This portrayed him as a man with false virtual as he stresses that that was one of the characteristic of a philosopher yet on the other hand he is committed to introducing new religions to the youths. For instance in our community today, there are various religious people who act as the role models in the field of religion, yet what they sermon is normally against what they belief or even what they do.

This is one of characteristic of false virtue the religious people among us portray. In his conversation, self-restrain is not a feature of those who look down on the body as it involves one not being keyed up by the fervor an as well being greater to other people and behaving in an appropriate manner.

Socrates is brought out as one who directly attacks its victims without compromise. This is brought out by the way they insisted on Plato remaining in prison despite the efforts of the friend who tried to rescue him from this, they opposed his thoughts and insisted that he remain imprisoned. On the other hand the Socrates are viewed to have true virtue via a conversation between them and Meno where it is brought out as having the particular behavior due to ignorance towards what virtue was all about.

Meno is ironical on how Socrates was going to inquire something it was fully uninformed about. This refers to the ignorance the Socrates had towards what virtues was. This is clearly portrayed in the society where some individuals are unaware of the kind of things they are expected to do yet they argue that they are very informed about such particular things.

In conclusion, Platos conversation is portrayed as a theoretical symbol of living rational study in which the shared activities of an individual aid in elucidating the tribulations being tested. This indicates that peoples opinions ought to be put forth despite the divergences that exist among different individuals with varied state of understanding.

Introduction

One of the first large-scale research projects of the positive psychology movement was the VIA  Values in Action project. The issues addressed by this project are related to the nature, structure, degree of integrity, dependence on cultural conditions, values, as well as opportunities and ways of developing the character in the most successful way. The authors identify two different levels of analysis  virtues and strengths.

Main body

The virtues are those values that are recognized as fundamental and unconditional in all or almost all cultures and societies. In order to determine them, an analysis of the most authoritative fundamental moral and philosophical texts of different cultures was made. As a result, six general cross-cultural virtues were identified. They are derived from historical reviews of the development of both Western and Eastern ethical thought. The virtues are described as universal and most abstract concepts in the scheme (Miller, 2018). Their generalization also contributes to the misunderstanding of the scheme; for example, Miller (2018) noted, there is no specific relationship between character strengths and virtues, nor has the unity of all virtues been defined.

In further analysis of each of the fundamental virtues, the personality traits or strengths of character that concretize it was identified. The basis for their selection was the analysis of more specific literature, namely from the field of psychiatry, youth problems, character formation, research organizations, as well as psychology, philosophy, and religion. Strengths are lower-level psychological components, structures, or mechanisms that specify core values, or virtues, different ways, and means to achieve them. Niemiec (2019) proposed six functions that strengths served in opportunities and adversities and described each of them in detail. According to him, these six functions of priming, mindfulness, appreciation, buffering, reappraisal, and resilience offer perspective on the vicissitudes of life (Niemiec, 2019). Also, according to Seligman (2015), the absence of strengths may be a real mental illness.¹ As he claimed, while the 24 strengths are the good in a person, their absence, their opposite, and their excess are the ill in a person (Seligman, 2015, p. 6).

However, the different factors of definition and classification of strengths are questionable. Miller presented a range of these factors, among which the incompleteness concern can be noted, indicating that the list of character strengths is incomplete and some important positive traits could be missing (Miller, 2018). In his view, there is also the conflict concern, which points out that some strengths can seemingly conflict with each other. However, McGrath (2019) stated that the degree to which completeness is a reasonable goal is vital to consider as well. Regarding the conflict concern, only the general character of the person matters, since specific actions directly depend on a given situation.

Conclusion

The following conclusions can be drawn from the review above. The current system of classification and measurement of character traits has controversial points but is generally recognized in the field. It is not trying to replace the DSM mental disorder classification system entirely, and most likely only complements it. In general, this scheme is aimed at the need to balance the predominant emphasis on deviations, problems, and diseases, typical for psychology in almost the entire XX century, with close attention to the positive aspects of personality and its functioning. Most likely, with the appearance of more research, this classification will undergo some changes in the future towards completeness and universal acceptance.

References

1. McGrath, R. E., (2019). Refining our understanding of the VIA Classification: Reflections on papers by Han, Miller, and Snow. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 14(1), 41-50, doi: 10.1080/17439760.2018.1528382
2. Miller, B. C., (2018). Some philosophical concerns about how the VIA classifies character traits and the VIA-IS measures them. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 14(1), 6-19, doi: 10.1080/17439760.2018.1528382
3. Niemiec, R.M., (2019). Six Functions of Character Strengths for Thriving at Times of Adversity and Opportunity: a Theoretical Perspective. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 1-22. Web.
4. Seligman, E. P. M., (2015). Chris Petersons unfinished masterwork: The real mental illnesses. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 10(1), 3-6, doi: 10.1080/17439760.2014.888582

Footnotes

1 Seligman is referring to the words of Peterson C.

Francis Hutcheson, a famous and respected Scottish philosopher, is well known for his contribution to the fields of political rights, liberalism, and human nature. His activities and theories had a significant influence almost all around the world, and they were especially crucial for moral sentimentalism. The philosophers writings are mostly concentrated on human nature and promote a natural benevolence as opposed to Hobbess egoism and Pufendorfs reward and punishment system.

In his book, An Inquiry into the Original of Our Ideas of Beauty and Virtue, Hutcheson supports the sensibility and internality of beauty, giving one argument for each. First, since pleasure is necessary and immediate, and it discerns beauty, this discernment becomes sensible (Shelley, 2020). Then, Hutcheson does not entirely agree with Shaftesbury regarding the idea of the mind alone being beautiful and states that the five external senses are insufficient for the discernment of beauty. Thus, perception of beauty is only a specific kind of internal sense that is irrational and has nothing to do with knowledge.

As for the actual proof of its discernment, Hutcheson does not provide it in An Inquiry into the Original of Our Ideas of Beauty and Virtue. However, in An Essay on the Nature and Conduct of the Passions and Affections, he mentions that an internal sense is one whose ideas arise only if certain other ideas have already arisen (Shelley, 2020, para. 1.2). Another Scottish philosopher, David Hume, suggests that the usefulness of objects at least in part defines their beauty, while Hutcheson disagrees with this idea since taste judgments are disinterested and usefulness perception is interested.

As for me, I find Hutchesons theories and ideas quite engaging. I agree with his thoughts regarding beauty and usefulness and the lack of dependence between them. Indeed, some objects are just beautiful without being quite useful, while those that are actually useful may not be perceived as beautiful by certain people. What is more, the idea of beauty not depending on knowledge appeals to me. It is not necessary to be aware of an objects history or purpose to find it beautiful or not.

Reference

Shelley, J. (2020).18th century British aesthetics. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web.

Elon Musk is one of the smartest and wealthiest people on the planet. The engineer is considered the genius of the modern world. Musk achieved everything himself through hard work. Despite a difficult childhood, he stubbornly went forward and reached great heights. The primary mission of the Mask is to help humanity and improve all areas of life. His main virtues are his desire to work and create something new, listening to criticism, not being afraid of risks, and achieving great goals other people would not understand.

Elon Musk faced many difficulties on the way to his current status, but this did not stop him. He started working at an early age, and at the age of 12, he created his first video game. Currently, the engineer works about 80 hours a week and follows the development of his two companies, which is admirable. Musk believes that working harder than others is the most critical key to success because life is short, and a person must do everything possible for a successful existence (Fernholz 16). He maintains that the ability to work should be so high as to achieve what some take years to complete in months. However, Musk says that not everything depends on performance (Higgins 35). The most important is the organization of hard work to achieve results. Musk works hard and does things that are different from many others. He believes that his competition in the market is less this way, and his constant work pays off better (Higgins 35). The engineer focuses on creating innovative technologies with a small number of these products. Additionally, his ability to work depends on his passion for his work. If a person hates his job, he will never achieve high results and will quickly give up. Elon Musk entered the engineering industry with innovations initially not accepted by society (Musk 57). As a result, he almost went bankrupt but could avoid it through hard work. Thus, he listened to the criticism, understood his risks, and successfully coped with them.

Despite earning money from his first projects, Elon Musk wanted more recognition for his technologies. In this regard, he was not afraid to take risks and sell his first companies for the sake of the new SpaceX and Tesla, which subsequently entered the world market. However, Musks ideas were initially on the verge of collapse, and he understood his risk when entering the market with new products. His ability to take responsibility even in such difficult moments is admirable. Elon Musk did not give up because of the initial failure of the company and put all his savings into the cause. It was a significant risk, as the entrepreneur did not know if his investment would pay off. However, at the same time, he advises taking on such responsibility at a younger age, when a person does not have to feed his family. At an older age, risk should be calculated more carefully, and savings should be left in case of failure. This approach causes respect for a person and highlights positive qualities in him. Additionally, Elon Musks risks were justified because he constantly asked for criticism, which he listened to carefully. Even though many people, including entrepreneurs, want to hear praise, Musk chose a different way to reap the benefits. In his opinion, criticism helps a person see his weaknesses and develop them. The complaint can be why a person stops believing in himself; nevertheless, Elon Musk could process a negative assessment into a catalyst for new ideas and tasks. He asked friends and investors not about positive experiences with his products but the negative feedback (Muegge and Reid 9). In addition, Musk clarified all the feedback from his customers, which helped him improve the business. Thus, he always thinks about big goals, consisting of small feedback.

Elon Musks ambitions are extraordinarily high and admirable. His desire to colonize Mars is not only a dream, but he is working hard toward it. His plans include the first human landing on Mars within ten years. Even though many people ridicule him for ambitions that they cannot achieve, Musk continues his work. Even if his company fails to achieve this goal, it will progress more than similar organizations with smaller goals. Elon Musk believes that the more time a person has and the smaller his plan, the weaker progress he will achieve. This approach is admirable since the engineer does not buy time and justify his inaction. Thus, Musk continues to work, ignoring ridicule from the outside. At the same time, he always treats negative statements with respect and does not enter into controversy. As a result, Elon Musk achieved big goals, allowing him to become one of the wealthiest and most successful.

Musk is admired for the many positive traits he brings to his work. First of all, he works hard despite the difficulties he faces. He constantly creates something new to improve humankinds life and contributes considerably to technical innovation. He is thriving and famous since he always steadfastly accepts criticism and listens to every negative review. Moreover, he takes responsibility for his actions and understands that every risk can lead to the collapse of both companies. One of their main features of Musk is a global goal, which he seeks to achieve by all available means.

Works Cited

Fernholz, Tim. Rocket billionaires: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the new space race. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018.

Higgins, Tim. Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century. Doubleday, 2021.

Muegge, Steven, and Ewan Reid. Elon Musk and SpaceX: A Case Study of Entrepreneuring as Emancipation. Technology Innovation Management Review, vol. 9, no. 8, 2019. pp. 7-12.

Musk, Elon. Elon Musk Biography. Advameg, Inc., 2021.

I believe most citizens of the United States today have a understanding of civic virtue but do not have an enduring action of civic virtue. Civic virtue is the righteous behavior of a person’s involvement in their community. It is a very important part to a structured community. People with civic virtue have characteristics that help them become a better person to their community. Some Americans share common civic values that include a sense of responsibility, justice to the people in their community, have personal perseverance, feel the need to be respected, and are resourceful. Many people have righteous behavior but do not follow it with enduring actions that help their community. They care more about their family, friends, and economic interest.

In my opinion, I agree with the quote,” In the wake of crisis, commentators and news analysts have said the citizens of the United Sates are at their best when events are at their worst.” During the Las Vegas shootings, people helped each other out, even when they were still in danger. For example, when the shooting was happening people picked up injured people and protected them while taking them under the stage. Another example, was when people put their fingers in bullet wounds to stop the bleeding and they were not concerned with blood disease because they cared more about helping the person than themselves. In addition, people with trucks they picked up as many injured people and put them in their truck and drove them to the hospital. These people did not care about blood on their truck or getting shot at they just wanted to get the injured people to safety. These examples show how citizens of the United Sates are at their best when events are at their worst.

In my opinion, most citizens of the United States will not continue to demonstrate civic virtue and patriotism on a daily basis. Today many people only care about their personal lives. People are mostly concerned with how much money they earn and what they can buy. Civic virtue is our responsibility of our citizenship which means we have to follow rules we don’t like to protect our community and to be fair to one another even when we don’t win or get what we want. Patriotism means citizens displaying devotion to their country, including devotion to the fundamental values and principles from our Bill of Rights and Constitution. I think it is important to respect and salute our flag because it represents our country as one whole group. For example, when students burned the American flag because they did not like what happened with the government after the election. They have free speech but I think they are not being a patriot when they burn our flag. They can share anger in other ways.

Another example of how most citizens of the United States will not continue to demonstrate civic virtue and patriotism on a daily basis is when they don’t help strangers out in their neighborhood. I hear people honk horns, yell, flip people off, many people don’t vote, many people don’t go to community meetings, and I see people ignoring homeless and very poor people. My dad ran out in a busy street to help a man on a motorcycle who was hit by a car. He had to yell at another person to put their car in front of him because cars were speeding by him and the injured man in the street. People don’t seem to care they only care about their life. People speed down my street in the evening going very fast everyday. They should not be driving fast down a residential street. We tell them to slow down there are kids that live on this street. One day a man got made at us. Are they really in that big of a rush to risk some child’s life. These are everyday examples of how people care more about their family, friends, and economic interest. If they care would they slow down and follow the rules that are there to protect the community.

In conclusion, most citizens of the United States today have a understanding of civic virtue but do not have an enduring action of civic virtue. I hope people change and stop being so selfish and think of what is good for the community. I agree with the quote,” In the wake of crisis, commentators and news analysts have said the citizens of the United Sates are at their best when events are at their worst.” I hope people will practice their best behavior more often. Even though I think most citizens of the United States will not continue to demonstrate civic virtue and patriotism on a daily basis, I believe we can learn why patriotism is important to our community. Hopefully this will make a change in us.

Most recently the virtue theory has resurfaced because of contemporary theorists criticizing principle based theories such as Utilitarianism and Kantian ethics (230). According to the text Ethical Choices, “Virtue theory is an objective theory and the fact that it can have “multiple right choices” sets it apart from all principle based theories” (226). Aristotle, a famous Greek philosopher believed that as humans, we constantly seek happiness and he believed that we become what we do habitually. Therefore, Aristotle conceptualized two predominant virtues, intellectual and moral. He claimed that intellectual virtues were inherited or learned while moral virtues are developed and require practice to become habitual. You learn virtue by watching those around you and then mimicking it. Responding in a virtuous manner requires a balancing act of landing in what is referred to as the “golden mean”. The golden mean is the middle point between being deficient and being excessive in reference to a specific virtue. Although we can talk about specific virtues such as courage, honesty, temperance, pride, and justice. It is the combination and overlapping of a multitude of virtues that form our character.

Being virtuous could be simply stated as always doing the right thing at the right moment. The one thing that is not simple is a unanimous agreement about what may actually be right. Because our intellectual virtues are products of our inheritance and education they are subject to be different. The virtue theory is not concrete and it seems a bit more human due to the fact that it is not a list of rules and consequences. As humans, we are all subject to making bad choices. However, “Aristotle believed that if we educate humans, they will make the right and moral choice” (Virtue Ethics Part 4). The golden mean is a critical piece in virtue theory. The middle of the continuum is not the same for everyone. For example, when considering the virtue of generosity, you would not want to be overly generous and put yourself in a difficult situation to manage your money or pay your own bills. However, if you can afford to be generous without depleting your funds to support your basic needs then you have found the golden mean. Of course the golden mean would change based on individual circumstances. Virtue theory wants every person to be their best no matter what they choose to do or become. Whether you are a high powered executive earning a six figure salary or a blue collar worker earning minimum wage, you are of value and should put forth your best intent and effort because that is the expectation of a person of virtue. Ultimately, the virtue theory can be defined as a good person making good choices and those moral decisions will allow one to live life in harmony and total happiness.

The virtue theory pushes us to best the best person we can and to continually seek growth and improvement for ourselves. Virtuous is something that we all aspire to become. Even though our text indicates that the virtue theory is resurfacing among theorists, as a young adult, I can honestly depict the virtue theory in my entire life. I just didn’t know it was called the virtue theory. My high school embodies the virtue theory by listing all the qualities and characteristics they want students to possess upon leaving the district. They refer to it as the Portrait of a Graduate and it includes the following traits: compassion, global citizen, team player, strong work ethic, responsible, effective communicator, critical thinker, leader, innovator and life-long learner. Virtue is present when I walk into a bookstore and an entire aisle is dedicated to self help and self improvement. Virtue is present when I sit in church and I listen to the word of God and the interpretation of the priest. Virtue is present when I watch Hallmark movies and they all have a predictable and happy ending. It is present when my parents and educators speak of the value and importance of education because with knowledge, we are better equipped to make the right decisions, those of virtue. According to virtue theory, being virtuous earns contentment where everything is balanced and in perfect harmony. This all sounds so perfect. However, life and people aren’t perfect. We are all different, not necessarily good or bad, just different. It is quite possible that a person’s intentional good decision ends up having a very bad effect on someone else. Life is messy and sometimes bad things happen. Unfortunately, when bad things happen, we don’t always see the virtuous aspects of people. However, the virtue theory provides a roadmap and we can continue to aspire to be our very best knowing there will be bumps and detours along the way.

Throughout the Analects of Confucius, Confucius teaches and gives a lot of concepts to certain contents. Each one has many definitions that go as a circle and complete the intended meaning. In most parts, Confucius gives small definitions to the concepts of gentleman, filial devotions, humanness and rituals which give us a space to think in our way what he wants to show with those definitions in his perspective. He focusses on virtue and the qualities of a gentleman a “Nobel Man”. Confucius mentions some definitions for a gentleman and how someone can be a Nobel man in their society. In this paper, I claim that Confucius manifests the characteristics of a gentleman as someone who does not care about the appearance nor pretends but remains constant in his judgment. Nonetheless, this ideal gentleman and ruler do not exist in the Arab world.

According to Confucius, a gentleman is a man with virtue who behaves with humanity and is loyal, generous to others. A gentleman is a person who is well cultured of Chinese history and is respectable as well as reliable. As mentioned, “the master taught four things: culture, behavior, loyalty, trustworthiness”. (VII/ 24). Virtue, in turn, is defined as behaving and acting in a just way for society and others, also to respect one another which appears when Confucius asks, “in making plans for others, am I being loyal to them? In my dealings with friends, am I being trustworthy? Am I passing on to others what I have not carefully thought about myself” (I/4) Confucius claims that when any person behaves with virtue people will respect and imitate him and that is why people must examine themselves before judging others.

Confucius judges the true ruler from his possession De (virtue) which is an important characteristic to be loyal to his people and having rituals to govern the state as he says “The master said, can you govern the state with rituals and a deferential approach? Then you will have no difficulty” (IV/13). So, he reveals that without virtue and rituals, rulers cannot govern their people and states which are the most important elements to be a gentleman. Since the ruler is the representative of the government, Confucius gives an image of the government’s behavior. So, if the ruler acts with virtue, all the people will follow his lead and respect him since his good behavior will influence his people. The government becomes like a star standing in the center and all the other smaller stars are around it. As mentioned, “it will be like the North star standing in its place, with all the other stars paying court to I” (II/1). Confucius is trying to show us that it depends on the ethical behavior of a person or a ruler or anyone else which makes people show the bad or the good reaction, which we can see especially, in the Arab World.

Confucius’s perspective about a gentleman does not work in the Arab World, because no one has virtue, ritual and other elements that make him have moral behavior for his people and society. Moreover, we do not see a person who is loyal, respectable, trustworthy, honest or caring about people’s interests and society. For instance, the individuals who have the highest position in the authority must respect their people, guarantee their rights and fulfill their needs. Those people must choose a decision that benefits their citizens and state. However, in our time, we can see words but not actions. We can see people who promise that they will do something good for people but in the end, it appears that their actions are only motivated by their interests.

In Tunisia in 2011, people revolted against their president Zain Al Abidin Ben Ali because they were angry about the government’s system since the president did not respond to them and used a policy of oppression against them. Also, people were angry about the existence of corruption, unemployment, poverty, and famine which Zein failed to solve. This is a small example of how persons who have to take care of and defend their people, torture them. If Zein was loyal to his people and did what the population wanted, he would have found a good treatment from them. However, since he was an unfair ruler, his people did not like him so they pressed the president to leave. Confucius argues that “to practice five things under all circumstances constitutes perfect virtue; these five are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness” (XVII/6). Unfortunately, I cannot see any of these characteristics in the Arab world so the Arab authorities realize that they have a lack of virtue among their citizens and people in which trustworthiness is nonexistent. So, all Arab representatives and administrators of each authority should comply with certain attributes and laws. It is out of the question to have an ideal man in a society whose people look to their interests and benefits and they know that.

In the Analects, Confucius describes a gentleman with virtue is in his viewpoint. He is looking for this person who is a gentleman but cannot find any. The nobility that Confucius is talking about is to be perfect in having the main characteristics as virtue and rituals which lead to a true gentleman. Confucius provides an idealistic picture of a gentleman since he presents him as a complete being. Nonetheless, this perfect image of the ruler is nonexistent in the Arab world, since the rulers we have only care about their self-interests. Even Confucius’s perspective about a gentleman is good and easy to have, but it is impossible to achieve in the Arab world.