Virtue and Courtesy

 

A Solutions-Based Approach To Social Justice ended with a brief discussion of the need for virtue and courtesy to promote an effective dialog and discourse for solutions. This blog will discuss these two concepts and develop them as integral components of any solutioning process.

The figure about shows the four cardinal virtues: Temperance, Prudence, Fortitude, and Justice. These were part of the classical education the founders of the Republic studied. Somewhere along the way, they fell out of the education pedagogy and virtue was no longer taught. Rather, we taught “manners”. Even as a cadet at West Point, we talked about virtue, at least in terms of honor, but not the four cardinal virtues.

Courtesy is related to honor, as well as manners. Now West Point drummed courtesy and manners into our heads from day 1. Courtesy came about as a set of rules of behavior at a medieval court to keep armed, violent men from killing each other and to allow the business of court to proceed with minimal interruptions.

I am sure some may wondering about the owl and the Victorian Gentleman framing the definition of virtue. They are from Steampunk. The early Steampunk development used the Victorian Era setting because in the genre, after wars and problems, society decided they needed to return to a sense of virtue and courtesy last found in the Victorian Era. Now the Victorian Era was far from perfect and had its share of problems, but at least publically, there was courtesy and virtue.

Our society is at the same place the founding of the Steampunk movement envisioned. Morality, courtesy and virtue are at dismal low points. As a result, discourse and dialog are nearly impossible. Organizations and universities suppress free speech and fire employees that question their diversity, inclusion, and equity mandates and training. Organizations fire people for simply stating that “all lives matter”. Really, that’s a “bad” statement? Courtesy and virtue are nearly absent concepts today.

There can be no effective solution development without critical thinking. There cannot be critical thinking in an organization or broader institution without effective discourse and dialog. There can be no discourse and dialog without virtue and courtesy.

So, let us look at the virtues in the figure above. First, a few interesting sources:

• 4 Cardinal Stoic Virtues: Powerful Hacks To A Good Life
• Aristotle’s Cardinal Virtues: Their Application to Assessment of Psychopathology and Psychotherapy
• Cardinal Virtues
• The Four Cardinal Virtues: What Are They And What Do They Mean To You?
• THE FOUR CARDINAL VIRTUES
• And for something a bit different, four cardinal virtues from Lao Tzu. These come from the Tao Te Ching, eastern philosophy. These include:
  • Reverence for all life
  • Natural sincerity
  • Gentleness
  • Supportiveness.

Here is what they mean for effective solution development and critical thinking:

• Temperance. Restrain yourself from immediate, visceral response. Take a moment to reflect and truly listen to all perspectives.
• Fortitude. Have the courage of your convictions. Politely state your opinion and why you think it relevant.
• Prudence. Prudence is another aspect of wisdom, but tempered with caution. Acting with prudence in solution development means identifying various potential solutions and testing them. Combine this with Temperance to not rush to judgment.
• Justice. Ensure all stakeholder concerns are identified and assessed. Identify conflicting interests and find ways to resolve them.

The virtue based approach to solution development enables effective scenario planning and analysis.

We need to teach the concept of virtue and courtesy starting in elementary school. Education should start with an introduction to the cardinal virtues and easy to understand case studies. Education programs can also include them in games and simulations to test student understanding. As students mature in their cognitive abilities, education programs can include them in case studies and more complex games and simulations that cause students to think through conflicting stakeholder interests and make effective decisions.

Now, let us briefly turn to courtesy. The Britannica Dictionary says courtesy is “polite behavior that shows respect for other people”. I like this definition because it gets beyond simple “politeness” and addresses respect for others. We cannot engage in effective discourse and dialog without this core of respect. The solution develop with the four cardinal virtues is impossible without this respect for others and their opinions and ideas. When we find people with differing ideas, we need to address them with respect and seek to understand why they feel and think the way they do. Deciding you have the answer and shutdown dialog is an example of cognitive bias and potentially a mindset of the “end justifies the means”. We see this often in today’s society.

The cardinal virtues and courtesy are essential for a healthy society and the formulation of policies and programs that solve problems rather than creating new ones.