I’m looking to do a study on virtues and vice, and need to make a list. Here’s my list so far. I like the ones that end in "y." I think I’m interested in this because a few very important virtues, if encouraged into American culture, might make a huge difference, esp. honesty, industry, generosity, and chastity.
Here’s my list off of the top of my head:
- Honesty (dishonesty)
- Loyalty (unfaithfulness)
- Chastity (promiscuity)
- Thrift (wastefulness)
- Industry (laziness)
- Generosity (stingy)
- Charity (unloving)
- Self Control (?)
- Moderation (gluttony)
- Patience (impatience)
Here’s what Bill Bennett’s The Book of Virtues would add:
- Self Discipline (same as Self Control)
- Compassion
- Responsibility
- Friendship
- Work (same as Industry)
- Courage
- Perseverance (same as work or Industry?)
- Honesty (got that one)
- Loyalty (got that one)
- Faith (interesting to view this as a virtue)
Then, there’s this bible verse which we can cull for virtues:
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
From that passage, we get:
- Patience
- Kindness
- Contentedness (does not envy)
- Self-effacing? (does not boast)
- Humility (is not arrogant)
- Polite (is not rude)
- Yielding (does not demand own way)
- Jovial ? (not irritable)
- Forgiving (not resentful)
- Righteous (does not rejoice in wrongdoing)
- Truth-seeking (rejoices in the truth)
- Patient (bears all things)
- Has Faith (believes all things)
- Hopeful (believes all things)
- Endurance (endures all things)
Finally, there is this huge list of virtues with definitions. Nice.