Athens: The Four Cardinal Virtues

1. Compare and contrast the Cardinal and Theological virtues. Tell what each are, where they come from, and what they get you.

The Cardinal virtues, or the natural virtues, are just that: natural – innate in each human being. The four Cardinal virtues are prudence (wisdom), justice, fortitude (courage), and temperance (ability to maintain the passions). And innate in our nature is reason, which plays into the cardinal virtues. These virtues are applicable to all men because each person contains them, and, thus, the ability to reason, within himself. One can live a virtuous life by following the Cardinal virtues, but one cannot get to God through them alone. For example, Aristotle used his natural ability to reason (prudence) and knew that

Athens was a democracy, which meant that each man could choose his own career and vote. It also in some senses means social equality, but in Athens, only adult males were free in all senses of the word. Athenians also had the freedom to attempt to advance their station in life and live the happiest life possible, unlike the Spartans. They also had the free choice to fight for their country, also unlike the Spartans. However, because Athens was a direct democracy, all adult males had to participate in government – they had no choice. On the other hand, in Sparta, children were forced to enter military school at seven years old. Each Spartans life was decided from birth based on their physical well-being as an infant. They sacrificed luxury in favor of discipline. For example, all Spartans wore the same clothes and ate the same food. However, this freed the Spartans from class conflicts like the ones that the Athenians experienced because of their democracy. In addition, the Spartans highly disciplined lifestyle made them a formidable foe and thus freed them from threats. All in all, the Athenians and Spartans were both free in their own ways. While Athenians were free to pursue their passions through democracy, the Spartans were free to exercise discipline, liberating them from class conflict and foreign