Chapter 15 Book VI Of the Qualities Concerning Virtue Part I

Book VI On Qualities Concerning Virtue (there are three parts in this volume) Introduction When we consider any individual quality, we must of course consider it from two different angles: first, by what it can produce for that person's own happiness. second, the effect it can have on the happiness of others. The first treats the character of the individual, as it affects one's own happiness; or of the careful care and health of the body, which seem to be the objects of concern which the Creator first advises every man to care.The desires of hunger and thirst, the pleasant or unpleasant sensations of pleasure and pain, heat and cold, etc., may be considered the admonitions given to him by the Creator himself, directing him what to choose and what to avoid for these ends.

A man's first lessons come from those who were responsible for his care in childhood.Much of this admonition tends to the same end as above.Their main purpose is to teach him how to avoid physical harm. As he grows up to manhood, he soon learns that certain care and forethought are necessary for the gratification of those natural desires, for the attainment of pleasure and avoidance of pain, for the attainment of pleasure and avoidance of unpleasant temperatures. The means to these ends are necessary.The art of preserving and increasing his material wealth consists in a proper disposition to care and forethought.

Although for us the usefulness of material possessions is first and foremost to provide the necessities and conveniences of the body, our reputation and status in society will largely Depending on what material possessions we have, or are supposed to have, we don't last very long in this world.The desire to make ourselves the proper object of such esteem, to acquire and actually attain this fame and position among equals, is perhaps the strongest of all our desires; The mood of the human being is in a large measure caused and animated by this desire to be stronger than the desire to provide the necessities and conveniences of the body, which are often easily provided.

Our status and reputation in the world of equal status to ourselves also depend to a large extent on our own qualities and behaviors, and perhaps they are something a good person would like to trust completely; Depends on the trust, respect, and goodwill naturally aroused in the people of the world. The physical condition, wealth, rank, and reputation of an individual are regarded as the chief objects upon which his comfort and happiness depend in this life, and the concern for them is regarded as the proper duty of that virtue commonly called prudence. I have said that we feel more pain when we fall from a better state to a worse one than we enjoy pleasure when we rise from a worse state to a better one.Security is therefore the first and principal object of the virtue of prudence.Staking one's health, property, status, or reputation as hell is not something people are willing to do.People would rather be cautious than enterprising, and worry more about how to maintain the advantages they already have than to further motivate themselves to obtain more advantages.The principal means by which we rely to increase our fortunes are those without loss or danger: true learning in one's trade or occupation, industry and industry in daily work, and economy in all expenses, Even a certain degree of stinginess.

The prudent man studies diligently to know all that he professes to know, and not merely to convince others that he knows; and though his genius may not always be high, what he has is always perfect true talent and learning.He will neither endeavor to deceive you with the cunning of a cunning liar, nor with the arrogance of a pompous pedant, nor of a shallow and impudent pseudo-scholar. Overconfident assertions to deceive you.He doesn't even boast of the talents he has really mastered.His conversation was simple and unassuming, and he hated all the nonsense with which other people were so accustomed to wooing the attention and confidence of the public.In order to gain credibility in his profession, he is naturally inclined to rely largely on his own real knowledge and ability; sphere, these men have at times set themselves up as the supreme arbiters of good character; they make it their business to extol one another's genius and virtue, and to condemn anything that can compete with them.If this prudent man had ever been associated with any such group, it was only out of self-defense, not to deceive the public, but to take advantage of the loud accusations against him of that group or some other group of its kind, secretly Rumors or conspiracies to keep the public from being fooled.

The prudent man is always sincere, and is horrified at the thought of the disgrace to himself which follows the false revelation.However, though he was always sincere, he was not always outspoken; and though he told only the truth and never a lie, he did not always feel himself obliged to tell the whole truth even under unjust demands. .Because he acts cautiously, he speaks with reserve; he never pushes his views on other matters or people recklessly or unnecessarily. Prudent people, though not always known for their keenest sensibilities, are always very good at making friends. However, his friendship is not hot and strong, but often short-lived, which seems very suitable for generous young people and people without life experience.It is a sober but firm and true friendship to a few well-tried and chosen companions; Rather, it is governed by one's deliberate respect for their modesty, prudence, and noble conduct.Although he was good at making friends, he did not often enjoy ordinary society.He was seldom frequent, but more infrequent, in those feasting societies which were noted for their gaiety and good-natured conversation.Their manner of life may interfere too much with his habits of temperance, may interrupt his persistent industry, or his strict economy.

While his conversation isn't always terribly snappy or funny, it's never obnoxious.He abhors the thought of being guilty of disrespect or rudeness.He never arrogantly assumed a position of superiority; and, on all ordinary occasions, he would rather place himself below than above his equals. He was a man of decorum, both in action and in conversation, and respected with almost religious rigor all those established social decorums and decorums.And, in this respect, he is compared with those of more eminent talents and virtues--men who have lived in all ages, from Socrates and Aristippus to Dr. Swift and Voltaire, and from Philip From the time of King II and Alexander the Great to the time of Tsar Peter the Great of Moskva, they overprominently expressed themselves by the most inappropriate means and even by a brutal contempt for all the usual decency of life and speech; He sets a worse example than those who would imitate them, who are too content to imitate the wrongs of such men, and do not even want to acquire some of the good in them--he sets a better example than .

That persistent industry and frugality in the prudent man, that resolute sacrifice of present comforts and enjoyments to those of the more remote but more enduring future, is always due to the impartial spectator and this impartial spectator. He is supported and rewarded with the full assent of the representative of the spectator, the man within. The impartial spectator is neither exhausted by the present fatigue of those whom he observes in action, nor seduced by the haunting cries of their present desires. For him, their present situation and their possible future situation are almost the same: he sees both situations from almost the same distance, and is affected by them in almost the same way.He knew, however, that for those parties they were by no means the same, and that the two necessarily affected them in vastly different ways.He cannot, therefore, disapprove, and even commend, the proper exercise of the self-control which enables them to act as if their present and future circumstances affected them in much the same way as they affected this spectator.

He who arranges his life according to his income is naturally satisfied with his situation, which is improved every day by continual, though small, savings.He can gradually relax the measures of economy and the simplicity of the things used.He is doubly satisfied with this gradual increase in comfort and enjoyment, because in the past he has felt the hardships that accompanied the pursuit of comfort and enjoyment.He was in no hurry to alter such a satisfactory situation, nor to pursue new projects and ventures which might jeopardize rather than further improve the assured security of life which he now enjoyed.If he undertakes any new projects or undertakings, they are probably well arranged and prepared.He was never driven or compelled by poverty to engage in these projects and undertakings, but always had time and leisure to consider soberly and calmly what their consequences might be.

A prudent person is reluctant to take on any responsibility that does not fall within his area of ​​responsibility.He does not rush about matters that do not concern him; he does not meddle in other people's affairs; he is not a man of opinion or advice, that is, a man who imposes his ideas on others without being consulted.He confines his affairs to what his duty will allow, and he does not relish that eminence which many seek from a certain influence which seems to have over the management of the affairs of others.He disapproved of entering into any partisan debate, hated sectarian groups, and was not always very eager to listen even to grand visions.He doesn't refuse to do something for his country when asked to do so, but he doesn't play tricks to get himself into politics.And he takes greater pleasure in having public affairs well managed by others than in having to manage them himself and getting into trouble to assume responsibility.In the depths of his soul he preferred the undisturbed pleasures of a life of assured security, not only to all the superficial brilliance of successful ambition, but to the accomplishment of the greatest and noblest deeds. The true and reliable glory that comes.

In short, the virtue of prudence, though regarded as one of the most respectable, and even to some extent lovable and popular, qualities when used merely to direct concern for one's health, wealth, position, and reputation, , which has never been considered the most lovable or noblest of virtues.It is treated with a certain slight respect, and does not seem to be entitled to any very warm affection or admiration. Wise and prudent conduct, when directed to objects greater and nobler than concern for one's health, wealth, position, and reputation, is often and very properly called prudence.We talk about the prudence of a great general, the prudence of a great statesman, the prudence of a high-ranking parliamentarian.In all these cases prudence is united with many a greater and more distinguished virtue, with valor, with extensive and zealous benevolence, with a sacred respect for the rules of justice, all of which are governed by a proper self-control. Sustained.This higher prudence, if carried out to the most perfect degree, must imply art, talent, and the most proper habits or inclinations of conduct in every possible circumstance and situation.It necessarily implies the perfection of all reason and virtue.This is where the brightest mind meets the best heart.It is the combination of the highest wisdom and the best virtue.It comes very close to the qualities of the academic and Peripatetic philosophers, just as the lower prudence comes very close to that of the Epicurean philosophers. Mere imprudence, or mere incapacity to care for oneself, is the object of pity for the magnanimous and benevolent; and of contempt, or, at worst, contempt, for those who are less sensitive. but never the object of hatred or resentment.But when it is combined with other bad qualities, it greatly intensifies the notoriety and disgrace that accompany these bad qualities.A cunning rascal, whose tact and dexterity, though unlikely to save him from intense suspicion, saves him from punishment and special investigation, is often indulged in the world more than he deserves.A clumsy and stupid man, for want of this tact and dexterity, is condemned and punished, and is the object of the hatred, contempt, and ridicule of all.In a country where great crimes often go unpunished, the most violent acts have become almost commonplace, and no longer arouse terror in their hearts.In a country where justice is practiced, this horror is felt by everyone.In the two countries mentioned above, injustice is the same, but imprudence is often very different.In the latter country the greatest crimes are obviously the most follies.In the former country they are not always regarded as follies.In Italy, assassinations, murders, and even commissioned murders seem to have been commonplace among the elite during most of the sixteenth century.Caesar Borgia invited four neighboring monarchs - all of whom held the ruling power of small countries and commanded their own small armies - to a friendly meeting in Senegaglia. As soon as they got there, he killed them all.This dishonorable action, though certainly disapproved even in that criminal age, seems to have only mildly affected his reputation, rather than contributed to the downfall of the murderer.His ouster came years later, for reasons completely unrelated to the crime.Machiavelli - indeed not even in his day the most virtuous man - was at the court of Caesar Borgia as minister of the Florentine republic when this crime was committed.He gives a very curious account of the matter, and in it he employs a language of cleanliness, elegance, and simplicity unlike all his writings.He spoke of it with great indifference; delighted in Caesar Borgia's handling of the matter; dismissive of the deception and weakness of the victims; Show no indignation at the cruelty and hypocrisy of their murderers.The cruelty and injustice of great conquerors are often absurdly marveled and admired; but that of thieves, robbers, and murderers is on all occasions despised, hated, and even feared. .Although the former are a hundred times more harmful and destructive than the latter, yet, when they succeed, they are often regarded as a heroic and noble act. The latter, as a folly, but also as a crime committed by the lowest and most insignificant, has always been hated and loathed.The injustice of the former, at least, must be as great as that of the latter; and stupidity is not very far from imprudence. A wicked and base wise man often gets more credit from the world than he deserves.A wicked and base fool always appears the most hateful and contemptible of all men.For prudence, combined with other virtues, constitutes the noblest of all qualities, and imprudence, combined with other bad qualities, constitutes the basest of all qualities.