A hypertext exploration of the virtues

Pasteur's faith was an genuine as his science. In his panegyric of Littré, whose fauteuil he took, he said: Happy the man who bears within him a divinity, an ideal of beauty and obeys it; and ideal of art, and ideal of science, an ideal of country, and ideal of the virtues of the Gospel. These words are graven above his tomb in the Institut Pasteur. In his address Pasteur said further "These are the living springs of great thoughts and great actions. Everything grows clear in the reflections from the Infinite". Some of his letters to his children breathe profound simple piety. He declared "The more I know, the more nearly is my faith that of the Breton peasant. Could I but know all I would have the faith of a Breton peasant woman." What he could not above all understand is the failure of scientists to recognize the demonstration of the existence of the Creator that there is in the world around us. He died with his rosary in his hand, after listening to the life of St. Vincent de Paul which he had asked to have read to him, because he thought that his work like that of St. Vincent would do much to save suffering children.

Lantern on top of the dome of the Cathedral of Florence, Italy, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, 1436

      Two kinds of virtue
             simpliciter
             secundum quid 
                  
                  
the intellectual virtues
                  Art
                  Prudence






the moral virtues
                  Prudence
                  Justice
                  Fortitude
                  Temperance
When the going gets tough, the tough get going



the cardinal virtues are

                      prudence
                      justice
                      Fortitude
                      temperance

"She teacheth temperance, and prudence, and justice, and fortitude" 
Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance
       
          These four, prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance
     when rightly meditated upon in view of any situation involving
     a dilemma or decision to be made provide an avenue of thought
     for the beleaguered intellect. Prudence aims to look ahead and
     may do so through the portals of the moral virtues. For justice
     provides a sample of possible actions. Act in such away to be 
     fair. And fortitude also may give some idea of the correct,
     most forthright, most courageous way to go in a given situation.
     Temperance also provides the middle way in all of these. 
     Thus the four cardinal virutes are interconnected and offer a 
     prismatic lens as it were through which to consider a situation.  
    







From Summa Theologica on Hope:
the theological virtues
On the contrary, Gregory says (Moral. i, 33) that the three daughters of Job signify
these three virtues, faith, hope and charity. Therefore hope is a virtue. 
                  faith
                  hope 
                  charity


Pertinent words of St. Thomas Aquinas found in Summa Theologica

     Since the true is the good of the intellect, 
but not of the appetitive power, it follows that all virtues 
which perfect the  intellect, exclude the false altogether, 
because it belongs to the nature of a virtue to bear relation 
to the good alone. 
     On the other hand those virtues which perfect the appetitive
faculty, do not entirely exclude the false, for it is possible to 
act in accordance with justice or temperance, while having 
a false opinion about what one is doing. Therefore, as faith 
perfects the intellect, whereas hope and charity perfect the 
appetitive part, the comparison between them fails. 

Art is a virtue, an intellectual virtue; and is to to be regarded as a facility to do or make or put into practice that which is at first intellectual. Hence it is ranked with Prudence as one of the "intellectual virtues"

Prudence is one of the four moral or cardinal virtues. It is right reason applied to practice. It is also one of the two intellectual virtues. This is an intellectual virtue thought to modify not the will but rather the intellect in its practical decisions. However Prudence informs the moral virtues and therefore modfies the will indirectly making it a moral virtue.

Interestingly Prudence is supported by Justice Fortitude and Temperance. And in turn informs or modifies them, making it a sort of Queen of the Moral Virtues, hinges as it does so on right thinking, that is, reason and intellect.

Justice is one of the four moral or cardinal virtues. It is concerned with fairness and the act of giving each his due. It is of course one of the moral virtues and is therefore modified by prudence along with Fortitude and Temperance.Interestingly five virtues annex to justice

Justice perfects the will and is the most important cardinal virtue.

Fortitude is one of the four moral or cardinal virtues. It is also one of the moral virtues and is therefore modified by prudence along with Justice and Temperance. Four virtues annex to fortitude

Justice perfects the will and is the most important cardinal virtue.

wisdom,understanding,counsel,fortitude,knowledge,piety,fear of the Lord

    
Wisdom
                    we relish the things of God and devote ourselves 
                    entirely to the glory of God.
         
Understanding
                       we know more clearly the mysteries 
                       of faith
         
Counsel
                  we are made aware of the deceits of the devil and
                  dangers to salvation
         
Fortitude
                     we are strengthened to do God's will. Not
                     exactly same as the moral virtue
         
Knowledge
                  our ability to discover the will of God
                  in all things.
         
Piety
                 by this gift we know love and
                 serve God willingly.
        
Fear of the Lord
                      we come to dread sin and its effects. for
                      example mortal sin wipes out the moral virtues
                      making it hard to make prudent decisions.

 
We obtain these seven gifts through the sacrament of Confirmation

these twelve grow out of the seven gifts

        Charity
          Joy
         Peace
        Patience
       Benignity
        Goodness
      Long Suffering
         Mildness
           Faith
           Modesty
         Continence
          Chastity

The Beatitudes

     Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kindgom of Heaven
     Blessed are the meek for they shall possess the land.
     Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted.
     Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for justice
           for they shall be satisfied. 
     Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtaine mercy.
     Blessed are the clean of heart for they shall see God.
     Blessed are the peacemakers 
           for they shall be called the children of God. 
     Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice sake
           for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The fivevirtues annexed to Justice are as follows:

       religion
       piety 
       gratitude
       liberality - moderation of excessive affection for wealth
       affability - yes, we owe each person an agreeable disposition

The fourvirtues annexed to Fortitude are as follows:

            Patience
            Munificence
            Magnanimity
            Perseverence