Value and Virtue, Knowledge Distinguish Your Essence

In our daily walk we heard many words whose meaning is unknown and may therefore not interpret and make them our properly. But this is only the beginning of the problem, as it could be justified in a thousand and one ways now, so the flow of information in print media and especially audiovisual, we accumulate so much doubt you do not know or by which begin to address first, so the easy way out and unfortunately the most frequent indifference to unfamiliar situations we face. To mention only two of the words we hear every day undoubtedly, is the value and virtue.

As a preamble to the topic, if someone asked you right now what do we mean by these two concepts?, Is sure to remain silent and not answer with a question based on what we know about them, they are term greater or lesser degree we have discussed in our closest circle of family and friends. But based on the most common responses we hear you get the impression that the value and virtue is commonly confused with the morals of the person, the individual's responsibility or civic citizen.

Therefore, given the confusion that remains in most people, the fundamental question is, do you really know the meaning of courage and virtue as transcending in our lives? What do they depend? Who takes care of your study? Now, to increase the factors to consider before these questions, another question of interest would be Do you know the relationship of the habit of virtue?

It is noteworthy that there is indeed a vast literature and literature on these topics, but the primary objective of this paper is to provide basic definitions for a more accurate understanding also to recognize the distinction and relationship to values, virtues and habits. See also the satisfaction of accomplishment if we sow the seeds of concern about this content so that you can make it grow through research and study authors recognized, of which we quote lines later references, and whose foundations considerations include thorough and address the issue from metaphysical views and / or religious.

To begin our discussion, we say that the study of values ​​and virtues are comprised within the philosophy and more specifically in their field of ethics. As a review we should mention that since ancient times has arisen interest in trying to justify reason that the values ​​and virtues of this, just to name some of the most prominent in the course of history would be the Greek philosopher Aristotle, or the movement of thought known as Stoicism, and in the mean age at Christian theologian and philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas, and post it to the philosophers of modern thought, Kant and Friedrich Nietzsche Imannuel. Since delving into his works you can discover the context in which formulated their theories about the value and virtue.

Now, putting us in the problem that concerns us, we will be pointing out terms with the idea in mind to go properly threading our subject. When asked what thing is the value or values? We answer the polysemy aside and bounded we say that they are perfections or property, found in humans and actions by choice of the same. Clearing a bit more this description, we can say that values ​​are objective, and not in our essence as individuals, we do not believe because they are part of existence itself, but simply is our duty to discover and adopt them as standard of life. We provide a classification of values, physical values ​​and spiritual values, we can enumerate the first food, health, rest, etc.., And the latter we can mention the intellectual, religious and moral.

To continue with the development of our subject consider a virtue, but here we are facing the situation that in order to approach a proper definition of virtue is necessary we find out about what the habit. Within the Aristotelian tradition holds that the virtues we understand them in terms of strength or capacity to act, and certainly the work is more commonly referred to as performing a certain act. Hence we can establish that habit comes from the acts and the acts come from the habit.

Habit means having to have and from this point of view, everything we have is habit. It is important to distinguish between entitative habits, or habits of being, as the strength or beauty, which we designate as habits just now. And working habits, or habits of action, which are those that are recognized mainly, that is, the trends which we have in us from repeated acts. Habit enables us to do more skillfully and promptly. This is why smoking has been designated as a "second nature" because, just as nature is the principle of action, and the habit is the source of the facility on the spot.

Some habits one perfects us physically or mentally, but if perfected our nature as a whole are good habits or behavior and are designated as virtues. Now, to complement this concept, one can establish that our knowledge in this life is not perfect, and a vice is a harmful act that requires a certain blindness of knowledge at the time to act. So there is some knowledge in every virtue and every vice in some ignorance. Hence the need to train other parts of our being to be subjected to reason. Such training will translate into good habits, and these are virtues.

Traditionally, four virtues have distinguished themselves as the most important in the ethical order. They are called cardinal virtues, from the Latin cardo, meaning hinge, which could be understood as a strong axis around which other things. And it is through these four cardinal virtues that turn all the others. In other words, these are prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude. It is the aim of this article to define each of them, but if to emphasize its importance.

Making a synthesis of the above, let's stay with the pressing need to discover the values, reflect, understand its importance to take root in our person, and later bring them to our actions every day, which undoubtedly will result in a habit that is based on value and therefore recognize us as a virtue. Or else, a virtue is a value put into practice every day. It is important to recognize that nobody is born with virtues, and these are not achieved by chance, nor are readily available, so each person is required to train their skills to make them fit instruments to achieve its end. And yes, the individual must master their passions and learn to control himself.