Daily Advice 1.09.21
Jan. 9th, 2021 09:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
readoldthingsSun Tzu's next category is the General. He writes,
In traditional cultures East and West, ethics consist of the practice of the virtues. The Catholic philosopher Alistair MacIntyre has discussed this issue at length, especially in his book "After Virtue," which is available for free online (legitimately, as far as I know). In short, the word "ethics" itself refers, not to a series of moral harangues, but to habits of behavior. Virtues, meanwhile are excellences in one area or another.
In Chinese culture, the traditional Confucian virtues are: Benevolence; Righteousness; Propriety; Wisdom; and Sincerity.* In a military context, Sun Tzu has exchanged Courage and Strictness for Propriety and Sincerity. The 4 cardinal virtues of the ancient Greeks were Wisdom, Justice, Temperance and Courage. Christianity kept these four, and added Faith, Hope, and Charity.
The point for us is that practicing any of these sets of virtues will lead to the production of a particular type of character.
Refer back to the first of Sun Tzu's 5 factors, the Tao or "Moral Law". We defined this as both goal-setting and as alignment with one's higher values and spiritual beliefs. The practice of the virtues is directly tied to this. We need both a general set of virtues to practice from one day to the next, and a specific set for our particular goal. Who do you want to be, and what do you want to achieve?
Persistence, Honesty, and Industriousness are virtues which will help you to get any job; if you are looking for a job with a bank, the virtues of Accounting and Professionalism will also be necessary. Charm, Wit, Confidence and Basic Hygiene are virtues to practice if you want to get a date; you'll need to add Fidelity, Courage, Endurance, Maturity and Industriousness if you also want to get married.
The practice of a specific set of virtues-- the Christian, the Confucian, the Greek-- will produce, in you, a character that is inclined toward virtue in general, which will make other virtues easier to pick up. It will also help to align your soul with the spiritual tradition you're working in, which will open you more to the aid of the powers of that tradition, incarnate or otherwise.
*The actual Chinese terms are not easily rendered into English. There is a useful discussion here.
The General stands for the virtues of Wisdom, Sincerity, Benevolence, Courage and Strictness
In traditional cultures East and West, ethics consist of the practice of the virtues. The Catholic philosopher Alistair MacIntyre has discussed this issue at length, especially in his book "After Virtue," which is available for free online (legitimately, as far as I know). In short, the word "ethics" itself refers, not to a series of moral harangues, but to habits of behavior. Virtues, meanwhile are excellences in one area or another.
In Chinese culture, the traditional Confucian virtues are: Benevolence; Righteousness; Propriety; Wisdom; and Sincerity.* In a military context, Sun Tzu has exchanged Courage and Strictness for Propriety and Sincerity. The 4 cardinal virtues of the ancient Greeks were Wisdom, Justice, Temperance and Courage. Christianity kept these four, and added Faith, Hope, and Charity.
The point for us is that practicing any of these sets of virtues will lead to the production of a particular type of character.
Refer back to the first of Sun Tzu's 5 factors, the Tao or "Moral Law". We defined this as both goal-setting and as alignment with one's higher values and spiritual beliefs. The practice of the virtues is directly tied to this. We need both a general set of virtues to practice from one day to the next, and a specific set for our particular goal. Who do you want to be, and what do you want to achieve?
Persistence, Honesty, and Industriousness are virtues which will help you to get any job; if you are looking for a job with a bank, the virtues of Accounting and Professionalism will also be necessary. Charm, Wit, Confidence and Basic Hygiene are virtues to practice if you want to get a date; you'll need to add Fidelity, Courage, Endurance, Maturity and Industriousness if you also want to get married.
The practice of a specific set of virtues-- the Christian, the Confucian, the Greek-- will produce, in you, a character that is inclined toward virtue in general, which will make other virtues easier to pick up. It will also help to align your soul with the spiritual tradition you're working in, which will open you more to the aid of the powers of that tradition, incarnate or otherwise.
*The actual Chinese terms are not easily rendered into English. There is a useful discussion here.
no subject
Date: 2021-01-09 05:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-01-09 10:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-01-09 11:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-01-11 03:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-01-11 08:02 pm (UTC)It's worth noting that the medicinal properties of herbs are referred to in traditional writings as their "Virtues." This herb induces sweating, that one induces vomiting, this one is a diuretic. A diuretic is useful under certain circumstances, useless under others, harmful if
You could reason: The overall goal is health; health is a type of wholeness; every whole participates of the One; the One and the Good are the same. Therefore the virtues of the herbs are good insofar as they conduce toward health, and evil otherwise, and in that wise we may judge virtues generally. The trouble is that it always requires an a priori goal to aim at-- but real life is messy that way.
I'd really recommend you sit down with MacIntyre's After Virtue. You'll get a lot out of it. One of the things he discusses is the different accounts of the virtues in different types of societies.
no subject
Date: 2021-01-12 05:51 am (UTC)