If you look up virtues, you will find that there are more than one hundred.
I located 121 but I suspect there are many more out there.
Of course, those you embrace will depend upon the qualities that support your ideas about social and personal morality, a good life, a just society and other normative values.
Nearly all have more appeal to me than faith, hope and charity, the three contemporary virtues religions promote.
In my view, the first of these, the one on which Christianity is supposed to be taken, is more a "sin" than a virtue.
(Not that I traffic in that term, which is a religious label sans secular significance.
) To honor faith as a virtue strikes me as a superstition.
It boggles that belief in that for which there is no evidence should be put forward as a positive quality, a good thing.
Of course, I understand why a religion founded on unsupported claims would want faith perceived as virtue, but why do people fall for it? Children, sure - but adults? That escapes me.
I'm not so fond of hope and charity, either.
However, these virtues are only overrated, not dysfunctional.
Regard for faith, that which beguiles someone into (as Mark Twain put it), "believing what you know ain't so," that is a wonderment.
The other day, my friend Lutz Hertel, a leading wellness champion in Germany and across Europe, sent an article about virtues, written by Eliezer S.
Yudkowsky entitled, "Twelve Virtues of Rationality.
" Fascinating stuff.
Eleven of Yudkowsky's virtues of rationality are curiosity, relinquishment, lightness, evenness, argument, empiricism, simplicity, humility, perfectionism, precision, scholarship and the void.
From a REAL wellness perspective, all have a place on my own list.
(More on the twelfth later.
) My list includes virtues that Paul Kurtz has identified as "common decencies.
" These appeal to secular humanists, though I believe religious folks embrace them, as well.
Kurtz divides common decencies into virtues that apply to moral behavior in society and those of a personal nature.
The latter Kurtz terms "ethical excellences.
" (See Paul Kurtz, "The Ethics of Humanism Without Religion," Free Inquiry magazine, Volume 23, Number 1.
) Nothing complicated about the common decency virtues.
For instance, consider courtesy, politeness, and empathy.
No need to believe that you will burn for eternity in a "life" to come if you flout these norms of behavior.
They are embraced by the godless because they make life better, pleasanter and more enjoyable for all.
They are worth honoring and practicing independent of belief in transcendental commandments from on high.
No cosmic policeman is involved - follow these guides or else it's curtains at the Pearly Gates! Christians often ask, "Why be good if there is no god?" The reason seems self-evident to secularists - it's in our earthly interests to be good, that is, to be virtuous (i.
e.
, courteous, polite and empathetic, for starters).
Virtues classed as moral decencies include personal integrity (telling the truth, not lying or being deceitful), sincerity (e.
g.
, candid, frank and free of hypocrisy), keeping promises (honoring pledges and agreements) and acting honorably (eschewing fraud and skullduggery).
Other virtues deserving high ranks in the hierarchy are trustworthiness, loyalty, dependability, reliability and acceptance of responsibility.
Add benevolence, fairness, gratitude, respect for justice and equality, tolerance and a willingness to negotiate differences peacefully and it soon becomes obvious why some lists include 100-plus named virtues.
Such virtues are, for the most part (at least within the same societies) expressive of general principles and rules.
They represent parameters that guide conduct.
They help us live together successfully.
Such humanist virtues have been tested by their consequences in practice.
As Kurtz noted, "morally developed human beings accept these principles and attempt to live by them because they understand that some personal moral sacrifices may be necessary to avoid conflict in living and working together.
" I don't doubt that Eliezer S.
Yudkowsky also values common decency virtues.
However, Yudkowsky's "rationality virtues" cover other contingencies and deserve consideration.
While some seem a bit like Buddhist maxims, they fit nicely with the common decencies already noted.
* Curiosity.
Desire to know the nature of truth, to trade ignorance for knowledge.
* Relinquishment.
Maintain a capacity to change beliefs or positions no longer supported by your experiences.
Same with emotions founded on beliefs that no longer appear congruent with your understanding of facts.
* Lightness.
Let the winds of evidence take you where they will.
In other words, assess data more than you fend off information at odds with your positions.
* Evenness.
Favor skepticism while demanding no more evidence for propositions that confront your positions than supportive evidence for those that confirm existing beliefs.
* Argument.
Strive for honesty, for your sake and all others who participate in discussions.
Fairness does not entail balancing between positions, as truth rarely arrives in equal portions.
* Empiricism.
"The roots of knowledge are in observation and its fruit is prediction.
" Don't overlook the basics, keep your eye on the ball, don't be hoodwinked by words and keep the big picture in mind at all times.
* Simplicity.
The more details added, the more chances to get something wrong.
(If I followed this maxim, I would have ended this essay by this point.
) Mathematically put, "a mountain of good deeds cannot atone for a single sin...
be careful on every step.
" * Humility.
Anticipate your own errors and confess your fallibility - without boasting of your modesty.
In this world, many have a grasp of rationality that is abysmal, so "spare no thought for whether others are doing worse.
" * Perfectionism.
Yes, of course it is impossible but there are benefits to seeking it nonetheless, provided you accept falling short of it always.
In every art and all endeavors, perfection-avoidance leads to premature endings and excuses for not trying a bit more.
* Precision.
"The narrowest statements slice deepest.
" Focus on whatever is sought to the maximum practical degree.
* Scholarship.
Study many arts and sciences - each makes you larger and the gaps between them diminish as your knowledge expands.
Math and science in particular will make you more rational.
Yudkowsky's favorites are evolutionary psychology, heuristics and biases, social psychology, probability theory and decision theory.
These add up to eleven virtues.
Yudkowsky has one more that he says must remain "nameless.
" He describes it at some length but I did not fully understand it.
My sense is that it calls for being passionate about the other eleven virtues.
In any event, there are more than enough of them out there, including those offered by Kurtz and Yudkowsky discussed here and so many others from secular, good-for-this-life purposes to guide you along as a pleasant, thoughtful and good person - and an admirable REAL wellness character.
I located 121 but I suspect there are many more out there.
Of course, those you embrace will depend upon the qualities that support your ideas about social and personal morality, a good life, a just society and other normative values.
Nearly all have more appeal to me than faith, hope and charity, the three contemporary virtues religions promote.
In my view, the first of these, the one on which Christianity is supposed to be taken, is more a "sin" than a virtue.
(Not that I traffic in that term, which is a religious label sans secular significance.
) To honor faith as a virtue strikes me as a superstition.
It boggles that belief in that for which there is no evidence should be put forward as a positive quality, a good thing.
Of course, I understand why a religion founded on unsupported claims would want faith perceived as virtue, but why do people fall for it? Children, sure - but adults? That escapes me.
I'm not so fond of hope and charity, either.
However, these virtues are only overrated, not dysfunctional.
Regard for faith, that which beguiles someone into (as Mark Twain put it), "believing what you know ain't so," that is a wonderment.
The other day, my friend Lutz Hertel, a leading wellness champion in Germany and across Europe, sent an article about virtues, written by Eliezer S.
Yudkowsky entitled, "Twelve Virtues of Rationality.
" Fascinating stuff.
Eleven of Yudkowsky's virtues of rationality are curiosity, relinquishment, lightness, evenness, argument, empiricism, simplicity, humility, perfectionism, precision, scholarship and the void.
From a REAL wellness perspective, all have a place on my own list.
(More on the twelfth later.
) My list includes virtues that Paul Kurtz has identified as "common decencies.
" These appeal to secular humanists, though I believe religious folks embrace them, as well.
Kurtz divides common decencies into virtues that apply to moral behavior in society and those of a personal nature.
The latter Kurtz terms "ethical excellences.
" (See Paul Kurtz, "The Ethics of Humanism Without Religion," Free Inquiry magazine, Volume 23, Number 1.
) Nothing complicated about the common decency virtues.
For instance, consider courtesy, politeness, and empathy.
No need to believe that you will burn for eternity in a "life" to come if you flout these norms of behavior.
They are embraced by the godless because they make life better, pleasanter and more enjoyable for all.
They are worth honoring and practicing independent of belief in transcendental commandments from on high.
No cosmic policeman is involved - follow these guides or else it's curtains at the Pearly Gates! Christians often ask, "Why be good if there is no god?" The reason seems self-evident to secularists - it's in our earthly interests to be good, that is, to be virtuous (i.
e.
, courteous, polite and empathetic, for starters).
Virtues classed as moral decencies include personal integrity (telling the truth, not lying or being deceitful), sincerity (e.
g.
, candid, frank and free of hypocrisy), keeping promises (honoring pledges and agreements) and acting honorably (eschewing fraud and skullduggery).
Other virtues deserving high ranks in the hierarchy are trustworthiness, loyalty, dependability, reliability and acceptance of responsibility.
Add benevolence, fairness, gratitude, respect for justice and equality, tolerance and a willingness to negotiate differences peacefully and it soon becomes obvious why some lists include 100-plus named virtues.
Such virtues are, for the most part (at least within the same societies) expressive of general principles and rules.
They represent parameters that guide conduct.
They help us live together successfully.
Such humanist virtues have been tested by their consequences in practice.
As Kurtz noted, "morally developed human beings accept these principles and attempt to live by them because they understand that some personal moral sacrifices may be necessary to avoid conflict in living and working together.
" I don't doubt that Eliezer S.
Yudkowsky also values common decency virtues.
However, Yudkowsky's "rationality virtues" cover other contingencies and deserve consideration.
While some seem a bit like Buddhist maxims, they fit nicely with the common decencies already noted.
* Curiosity.
Desire to know the nature of truth, to trade ignorance for knowledge.
* Relinquishment.
Maintain a capacity to change beliefs or positions no longer supported by your experiences.
Same with emotions founded on beliefs that no longer appear congruent with your understanding of facts.
* Lightness.
Let the winds of evidence take you where they will.
In other words, assess data more than you fend off information at odds with your positions.
* Evenness.
Favor skepticism while demanding no more evidence for propositions that confront your positions than supportive evidence for those that confirm existing beliefs.
* Argument.
Strive for honesty, for your sake and all others who participate in discussions.
Fairness does not entail balancing between positions, as truth rarely arrives in equal portions.
* Empiricism.
"The roots of knowledge are in observation and its fruit is prediction.
" Don't overlook the basics, keep your eye on the ball, don't be hoodwinked by words and keep the big picture in mind at all times.
* Simplicity.
The more details added, the more chances to get something wrong.
(If I followed this maxim, I would have ended this essay by this point.
) Mathematically put, "a mountain of good deeds cannot atone for a single sin...
be careful on every step.
" * Humility.
Anticipate your own errors and confess your fallibility - without boasting of your modesty.
In this world, many have a grasp of rationality that is abysmal, so "spare no thought for whether others are doing worse.
" * Perfectionism.
Yes, of course it is impossible but there are benefits to seeking it nonetheless, provided you accept falling short of it always.
In every art and all endeavors, perfection-avoidance leads to premature endings and excuses for not trying a bit more.
* Precision.
"The narrowest statements slice deepest.
" Focus on whatever is sought to the maximum practical degree.
* Scholarship.
Study many arts and sciences - each makes you larger and the gaps between them diminish as your knowledge expands.
Math and science in particular will make you more rational.
Yudkowsky's favorites are evolutionary psychology, heuristics and biases, social psychology, probability theory and decision theory.
These add up to eleven virtues.
Yudkowsky has one more that he says must remain "nameless.
" He describes it at some length but I did not fully understand it.
My sense is that it calls for being passionate about the other eleven virtues.
In any event, there are more than enough of them out there, including those offered by Kurtz and Yudkowsky discussed here and so many others from secular, good-for-this-life purposes to guide you along as a pleasant, thoughtful and good person - and an admirable REAL wellness character.
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