Virtue comes from the Latin word “virtus” (from “vir” meaning man) meaning manliness, courage, character or excellence. So, virtue literally means manliness, courage, character or excellence. In today’s, the meaning of virtue usually is a desirable ability, beneficial power or moral uprightness or practice. The word “virtue” generally means a good quality or habit that a person has.”
Virtue is valued as the means to attaining the humans’ goal, that is, true happiness as different scholars have asserted. Socrates in his philosophical teachings “equated knowledge with virtue.”[1] He claimed that ignorance which is the absence of knowledge (virtue) is the cause of wrong doing. This cements the fact that virtue is very crucial in human life as it helps him to avoid what is wrong or evil. Thus, to have knowledge (virtue) is to do the good. So Plato following Socrates also asserted that virtue is the road to obtaining the goal of human life that is happiness. And this “virtue is identical with knowledge or wisdom.”[2] According to Plato wisdom is virtue of the rational part of the soul that is reason; courage is the virtue of the spirited part and only to mention a few, all this works together to bring harmony which is justice in the soul.
According to Aristotle “Virtue is an internal disposition, a state of mind, from which virtuous actions spring spontaneously.”[3] For him virtuous life demands constancy and need to be continuous. It is not the matter of mechanical repetition of good acts but a constantly right moral disposition. It is a permanent good character of a person. It consists in the control of our passions by our reason.
Aristotle gave two categories of virtues; Intellectual virtue which is generated and fostered through conscious process of learning and teaching. The other category is Moral virtue which is not generated but rather displayed as routinized ways of behavior. There is relation although between these two categories of virtues, moral virtue is at its best when it is combined with the working of the intellectual virtue of practical wisdom. So, virtue is very necessary in the following ways:
Virtue is the departure to the ultimate goal of human life that is happiness. Man according to St. Augustine, has a natural desire for happiness. St. Augustine continues to say, this desire is not confined to me alone, nor to me and few others; unquestionably all of us want and desire happiness. That is everyone (every human being) in the world wants to be happy in life, to live the life of happiness[4]. This is due to the value contained in virtuous life. However, this happiness according to Aristotle, Socrates and Plato can only be attained through virtue. Virtue is the only path that directs towards happiness which is the goal and standard of morality. Any action that leads to happiness is good and those which do not result into happiness can be termed as evil. So, virtue is very important since it is threshold to the goal of human life, that is, door-way to happiness.
Aristotle’s doctrine of Golden Mean, in which, virtue is the mean between two extremes namely excess and deficiency. Virtue helps people in life to act moderately; that is to avoid exaggeration or reduction in certain matters in life. For instance generosity is a mean between miserliness (extreme) and extravagance (another extreme).
Courage is a mean between cowardice and foolhardiness and only to mention but a few. Virtue is a mean between the extremes in life which can only be solved by possessing the required virtues. Virtue develops in us as the power of personal excellence. Excellence occurs straight in the mind, translated in speech and demonstrated in life such as scientific knowledge, art, practical wisdom; etc. all these strive for excellence of a person; thus its necessity.
Virtue promotes a power of critical analysis (thinking) on different aspects of life; such as spiritual, cultural, political, ethical behavior, economical, rational opinions and decisions making skills. Such, aspects of life of a person and the society at large by the constant practice of virtues such as justice, generosity, scientific knowledge, temperance as well as art: When these virtues are well integrated then the issue of life becomes very nice since all people will be happy and there will be harmony in the society.
Virtue advocates and calls for participation in different activities which help to develop and maintain personal needs as well as the society in which a person lives. Such activities involve, poverty alleviation, assisting people with different predicaments. In so doing a person sustains his life and even the lives of other people. This is due to the sense of being virtuous; a vicious man cannot do these.
Virtue also stimulates the spirit of patriotism and moral values in a person. It triggers and provokes zealously and unselfishly in a person to lose himself in the service of the others in the society. This can be possible through an eye of virtue. The spirit of patriotism is virtue, which develops within a person and does not come abruptly. Thus, this shows how virtue is important in life of a person.
In a nutshell, virtue is the path towards the goal of human life which is happiness. “Happiness … is a working of the soul in the way of excellence or virtue.”[5] It is the goal and standard of morality. Thus, Aristotle said “Happiness is the activity of the soul in accordance with virtue.”[6] This definitely shows how virtue is very necessary in the life of a person since it touches directly the life of a person. Virtue helps a person to avoid the extremes which result into vices. So, lack of virtue makes a person fall into doing what is wrong. Virtue is the way to bring harmony in life of a person in the society today.
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[1] Joseph I. OMREGEB, A Simplified History of Western Philosophy, Vol. 1, Modern Philosophy, Joja Education Research and publishers Ltd, Lagos 1991, p. 34.
[2] Ibid., p.44.
[3] Ibid., p. 62.
[4] SAINT AUGUSTINE, The Confessions, Book X, John E. Rotelle (Ed.), New City Press, Hyde Park, New York 2008, p.258-259.
[5] Samuel E. STUMPF, Philosophy: History and Problems, McGraw-Hill, New York 1971, p.100
[6] Joseph I. Omregbe, Op. Cit., p.61.