The cardinal virtues are also called “principal human virtues” and constitute the foundations (the hinge, precisely) of a life oriented towards good.
They were enunciated by ancient philosophers, particularly by Plato, and then rediscovered in different eras by authors and philosophers. When Dante, for example, having left hell, found himself on the beach of Purgatory together with Virgil, he saw four particularly bright stars shining high in the sky that represented, precisely, the cardinal virtues, lamenting, at the same time, how they were unknown to the human soul and how such a lack had made the world widowed.
“I turned to the right, and set my mind
to the other pole, and saw four stars
never seen except by the first people.
The heavens seemed to rejoice in their flames:
O northern widowed site
since you are deprived of beholding them.”
The mistake that is sometimes made is to interpret and deepen the cardinal virtues in a notional and historical key, when instead, they should be rediscovered and brought to light in our daily lives, not only to lead a happier life, but to contribute, in our small way, to making the world a better place. That’s why we should go deeper than a sterile knowledge of them and stop to ask ourselves if we possess these virtues, trying as much as possible to make them part of us.
Let’s analyze them in more detail:
1. Prudence
“Prudentia” is called “charioteer of the virtues” because it guides all the others. We can define it as the wisdom in knowing how to make decisions and discern between a good action and a bad one. Being prudent in this sense does not mean being indecisive or hesitant, but knowing how to choose with ethics, rationality and firmness between what is right and what is wrong.
2. Justice
“Iustitia” is understood as the constant will to recognize to each what is due to them. Acting according to justice therefore means being able to set aside one’s personal interest and therefore be just and fair towards others.
3. Fortitude
“Fortitudo” is courage. Fortitude is the ability to resist in the face of difficulties, not to give up and not to be overcome by fear and apathy. It is the determination to persevere and to move forward despite everything.
4. Temperance
“Temperantia” is expressed through moderation, in all things. Temperance is the opposite of exaggeration and ostentation; control of one’s instincts, balance in actions, words, and manners.
I leave you with this wonderful quote from the Supreme Poet that summarizes the essence of Dante’s thought and that should be displayed at the entrance doors of every school:
“Consider your origins:
you were not made to live like brutes,
but to follow virtue and knowledge.”
♥
“Virtue produces happiness as the sun produces light”
M. de Robespierre
