Peter J. Leithart
First Things
November 22, 2019
“Dante’s
Commedia draws on the tradition of the seven virtues,
four ‘natural’ (justice, prudence, temperance, fortitude) and three ‘theological’
(faith, hope, and love). ... Exceptional pagans can achieve natural
virtue, but, with very few exceptions, the habits of faith, hope, and love are
beyond their capacity.”
Above is a link to a short essay
you might find as interesting as I do.
It addresses an existential dilemma
others with far greater minds than mine were in, yet found a way out. See for
example, Kierkegaard and C.S. Lewis. I am currently in a similar if not the same
dilemma.
The four ‘natural virtues’ given
in this essay are also those of
Stoicism
- courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom. I certainly cannot claim mastery of
any or all of them. Besides, to do so would make me a saint and a sage. Either
is a very rare achievement.
I do not sniff at or take
sagacity or
beatification and
canonization lightly.
However, either might well be an undesirable achievement, for would it not make
one boring, predictable, and lazy from having no inner personal challenges left
to face? Then again, sages and saints by definition must know how to deal with
such pedestrian problems. Besides, sagacity and canonization should be honors conferred
upon one by others, rather than pursued as personal achievements. All that
said, I have made some progress in my pursuit of the natural virtues over the
past few years through Stoic study and practice. Progress, not sage- or
sainthood, is all I have sought and seek.
Still, I have not found the
happiness or contentment I wrongly hoped the study and practice of Stoicism
would bring me. I say ‘wrongly’ because Stoicism does not promise happiness or
contentment. It simply suggests a method to respond personally, and optimally, to
the vagaries of life as they arise. Stoicism does not offer, say, the relief
and contentment Kierkegaard and Lewis found in the three ‘theological’ virtues
of faith, hope, and love.
