A634.6.3.RB - What Are Virtues?

LaFollette (2007) suggested that the best way to live a moral life is by cultivating virtues.  Aristotle thought of virtues as character traits and tendencies to act in a particular way (2018).  He thought that living a virtuous life was the key to happiness and a good life.  Additionally, Aristotle suggested that a virtuous person does the appropriate action, does it habitually, enjoys being virtuous, knows that it is virtuous, and knows why it is virtuous (LaFollette, 2007).  

Benjamin Franklin had a lifelong commitment to cultivating virtues.  He developed a list of thirteen virtues that he considered were essential to virtuous living.  He also developed a chart he carried around with him that he could use to note when he had not adhered to one of the virtues.  Franklin focused on one virtue each week, so after thirteen weeks he had spent time trying to cultivate each one.  He would then start the process over again.  When Franklin began this program he made numerous marks on his chart, but over time he noted fewer and fewer marks, indicating the fruits of his efforts (McKay & McKay, 2008).  Franklin’s virtues included:
  1. Temperance
  2. Silence
  3. Order
  4. Resolution
  5. Frugality
  6. Industry
  7. Sincerity
  8. Justice
  9. Moderation
  10. Cleanliness
  11. Tranquility
  12. Chastity
  13. Humility
As I have pondered on this list, and imagined how my own score card would look after thirteen weeks of grading my own behavior, I see three virtues that stand out more than any other that could use some work: temperance, frugality, and industry.

Regarding  temperance, Franklin (McKay & McKay, 2008) suggested “Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.”  For the most part I eat a healthy and balanced diet.  For the most part I avoid eating unhealthy foods, and I exercise portion control regularly.  I do not drink alcohol at all.  However, I do have a weakness when it comes to what I eat: I love chocolate and candy (M&M’s are my favorite!)!  I can say that when it comes to sweets I often “eat to dullness.”  I eat it to the point that I am no longer enjoying it, I eat it just because it is there and I have a hard time resisting it.  

“Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing” said Franklin (McKay & McKay, 2008).  I am generally pretty good at managing my finances.  I have no debt other than the mortgage on my home.  Throughout my twenties I was very frugal and worked hard to pay off all my student loans.  We owe nothing on our cars.  However, as I am now almost through my thirties I find myself not being nearly as frugal as I was when I was working so hard to pay off my debt.  I am not a big spender, but at times I do spend money unnecessarily on things that bring no value to myself or others.  

I wonder what Benjamin Franklin would think if he was able to see how much time we waste on social media, on binge watching our favorite shows, and in the pursuit of nothingness.  He said “Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions” (McKay & McKay, 2008).  Industry was important to Franklin.  Generally I am very industrious.  I do not spend much time on social media, I don’t watch much TV, and I generally have a “to-do” list that I am constantly trying to get to the bottom of.  However, there are definitely times that I am not very productive.  Sometimes I find myself watching too many “how-to” videos on YouTube, or wasting time in menial pursuits.  

To overcome my tendency to overeat candy and chocolate, to be more frugal, and to waste less time I am going to follow Benjamin Franklin’s example.  I have downloaded an app in my phone called Ben’s Virtues.  The app includes a daily chart just like the one Franklin developed.  At the end of each day I will score myself on my performance in each area.  Over time I hope to see the marks diminish, just as Franklin did.  By so doing I will be able to say as Franklin (as cited in McKay & McKay, 2008) did: 

Tho’ I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavour, a better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been if I had not attempted it (para. 6).


References

Hendrix, S. (2018, May 21). How to Be Happy: Aristotle’s 11 Guidelines for a Good Life. Retrieved from https://bigthink.com/scotty-hendricks/aristotles-11-guidelines-for-living-a-good-life

LaFollette, H. (2007). The Practice Of Ethics. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

McKay, B., and McKay, K. (2008, February 24). Lessons in Manliness: Benjamin Franklin’s Pursuit of the Virtuous Life. Retrieved from https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/lessons-in-manliness-benjamin-franklins-pursuit-of-the-virtuous-life/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A632.2.3.RB - Sheena Iyengar: How to Make Choosing Easier

Image
Perhaps you have experienced what I experience on a regular basis.  You are at a restaurant looking at the menu, trying to decide what to order.  All of the options look good, and you cannot decide between the fajitas and the enchiladas. “There are just too many options!” you exclaim in frustration as you decide to simply order the same thing you always do, the chicken burrito. It is said that variety is the spice of life.  As consumers, we generally think that more options is better than few.  “Marketers assume that the more choices they offer, the more likely customers will be able to find just the right thing” (Schwartz, 2006, para. 1).  We have a tendency to believe that where more options are available, we will be able to find something that fits our needs or wants exactly, and we will be more satisfied with our decision.  We will be able to have it our way. However, “research now shows that there can be too much choice; when there is, consumers are less likely to buy anyth
Read more

A634.8.2.RB - Gun Control: What is the Answer?

Image
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in December of 1791 states that “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed” (U.S. Const. amend. II).  Although parties from different sides of the debate have argued various interpretations of this constitutional amendment, the United States Supreme Court has upheld the right of an individual to keep and bear arms.  A 2008 Supreme Court case, District of Columbia vs. Heller, held that the "Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home" (as cited in Brooks, 2017, para. 14).  This controversy has heightened in recent years as high-profile mass murders and school shootings have occurred repeatedly.   The question of how to reduce firearm related deaths is co
Read more