The Four Cardinal Virtues of Man

By Spencer K. Smartt

In my previous posts I have covered a wide variety of subject matter dealing with what I felt was important to the development of our organization (the National Association of Contractors & Remodelers of America) such as credibility, integrity, veracity and or course responsibility in relationship to one’s duty.

In this piece I want to discuss the “cardinal virtues” of man and how they should be perceived by our membership. These are a set of four virtues recognized in the writings of “Classical Antiquity” and, along with the religious virtues of our traditional Christian values which are “faith, hope and charity”.

Thse four basic virtues consist of; Prudence – the ability to judge between actions with regard to appropriate actions at a given time. Justice - the perpetual and constant will of rendering to each one his right. Temperance or Restraint - practicing self-control, abstention, and moderation and last but not least Fortitude or Courage – having forbearance, endurance, and ability to confront fear, uncertainty and intimidation. These so called “cardinal virtues” are the basic virtues required for a virtuous life.

The four cardinal virtues appear as a group long before they are later given this title. In Plato’s “The Republic” he identifies the four cardinal virtues with the classes of the city described in his book and with the faculties of man. Plato narrates a discussion of the character of a good city where the following is agreed upon. “Clearly, then, it will be wise, brave, temperate [literally: healthy-minded], and just.”  

Prudence, Justice, Temerance and Fortitude painted by Sir James Thornhill 1676-1734

Prudence

The word Prudence is derived from the Latin word “prudentia” meaning foresight and is most often associated with wisdom, insight and knowledge. Being prudent means that one that has the ability to judge between “virtuous and vicious actions, not only in a general sense, but with regard to appropriate actions at a given time and place”. Being prudent doesn’t necessarily mean that one must perform any type of action, but merely having the knowledge to act in a virtuous manner.

The mere act of being prudent when being applied to any judgment goes to show for example, the more difficult the task the more the importance of being prudent. When a distinguished person acts prudent, those in which various “goods” have to be weighed against each other, as when a person is determining what would be best to give charitable donations, or how to punish a child so as to prevent it from repeating the same offense, then prudence becomes all that more important.

Today however, the word has become increasingly synonymous with cautiousness. In other words prudence now takes on a muck darker meaning than was intended such as to take risks, which remains a virtue with respect to unnecessary risks, but when unreasonably extended (i.e. over-cautiousness) it can become the “vice of cowardice”.
It is my humble opinion that as a result of the prudence shown on the part of those of you that stood your ground during the initial days of the despicable acts when our so called brothers tried to ruin what we all were pursuing goes to show just some of the virtues that this association harbors.

Justice

Justice is a concept of moral rightness which stands outside the class system and the divisions of man! It is based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, equity and fairness, as well as the administration of the law, taking into account the inalienable and inborn rights of all human beings and citizens, the right of all people and individuals to equal protection before the law of their civil rights, without discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, color, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, or other characteristics, and is further regarded as being inclusive of social justice, and rules the proper relationship among the four of them. Nothing more need be said, as it alone amongst all of the four virtues, stands paramount!

Temperance

For ions of time “Temperance” was commonly applied to all classes, but primarily with the producing classes, the farmers and craftsmen, and with the animal appetites, to which no special virtue was assigned;

Temperance in today’s vernacular is defined as "moderation in action, thought, or feeling; restraint" and has been studied by religious thinkers, philosophers, and more recently, psychologists, particularly in the “positive psychology” movement.
This virtue is considered a “core value” that can be seen consistently across time and cultures. It is considered one of the four cardinal virtues, because it is believed that no virtue could be sustained in the face of the inability to control oneself, if the virtue was opposed to some desire.

Fortitude

Throughout history Fortitude and Courage were assigned to the warrior class and to the spirited element in mankind. Courage is the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. It is this “Physical” courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death, or threat of death, which allows “moral” courage to exist and it is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal, or discouragement. These were and are the attributes that allowed us to survive and to now to strive to meet our goals. It will be fortitude that will carry us forward to become the organization that we all believed that we could become.

 

 

Spencer K. Smartt

Founder and Charter Member

National Association of Contractors & Remodelers of America

Dallas, TX.