1. St.Martin Center for Professional Ethics & Service-Learning
BG 14032 Professional Ethics Seminar
MODULE IV: Moral Virtues
(Fourth Session)
2. St.Martin Center for Professional Ethics & Service-Learning
Pavilion of Four Cardinal Virtues
Fortitude Justice
Prudence Temperance
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Fortitude Justice
Prudence Temperance
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Why a Module on Virtue?
• Assumption University aims at forming its
graduates to be a person of integrity and c
haracters.
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Definition
• Virtues is equivalent to moral characters.
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Plato
Greek
Philosopher
(428-347 B.C)
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Plato’s Cardinal Virtues
• Plato in the Republic contends that a
state comprises three major
functions which needs different trait
of characters.
•The ruler needs wisdom.
•Soldiers need courage.
•Civilians need temperance.
•All need justice (harmony).
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Plato & Aristotle
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What is Virtue?
• A habit of doing things in an excellent
manner. Virtue consists in observing the
means between excess and deficiency.
• Example:
–Brave is the means between
cowardice and rashness.
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Why Virtues?
• Human acts always pursue the good.
The highest good of man is
happiness (eudaimonia) which can be
achieved by acting in accordance to r
easons and pursuing an activity of th
e soul in conformity to virtues (arete :
excellence).
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Two Kinds of Aristotelian Virtues
Moral Virtues
– Moral virtues are not innate, but that they are acquired by developing the
habit of exercising them. An individual becomes truthful by acting truthfully, o
r becomes unselfish by acting unselfishly.
– According to Aristotle, the moral virtues include: courage, temperance, self-
discipline, moderation, modesty, humility, generosity, friendliness, truthfulnes
s, honesty, justice.
– The moral vices include: cowardice, self-indulgence, recklessness,
wastefulness, greed, vanity, untruthfulness, dishonesty, injustice. Acts of virt
ue bring honor to an individual, acts of vice bring dishonor to an individual.
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Intellectual Virtues
• The intellectual virtues include: scientific knowledge
(episteme), artistic or technical knowledge (techne), intuitiv
e reason (nous), practical wisdom (phronesis), and philoso
phic wisdom (sophia).
– Scientific knowledge is a knowledge of what is necessary and
universal.
– Artistic or technical knowledge is a knowledge of how to make
things, or of how to develop a craft.
– Intuitive reason is the process that establishes the first principles of
knowledge.
– Practical wisdom is the capacity to act in accordance with the good
of humanity.
– Philosophic wisdom is the combination of intuitive reason and
scientific knowledge.
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Cardinal Virtues.
• Prudence: A justification of what ought to do and
what ought not to do.
• Fortitude: Without courage we are unable to
cope with dangers and difficulties in life.
• Temperance: The ability to expend one’s
resources wisely, otherwise one will be worse off.
• Justice: The ability to maintain peaceful and
harmonious relationship with others.
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Moral Courage
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• Determination to act to
maintain righteousness,
fairness and justice in s
ociety despite the diffic
ulties and the risk of doi
ng so.
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Factors of an act of Moral Courage
• Act with righteousness, fairness, respect,
responsibility, and honesty.
• Passion and commitment to act despite
the risks of doing so and the forth comin
g dangers;
• Be prudent and flexible in response to
the risks;
• Practice, Practice, and Practice.
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Moral Courage
• Have I been sleeping?
I've been so still
Afraid of crumbling
Have I been careless?
Dismissing all the distant rumblings
Take me where I am supposed to be
To comprehend the things that I can't see
• Cause I need to move
I need to wake up
I need to change
I need to shake up
I need to speak out
Something's got to break up
I've been asleep
And I need to wake upม Now
• And as a child
I danced like it was 1999
My dreams were wild
The promise of this new world
Would be mine
Now I am throwing off the carelessness of youth
To listen to an inconvenient truth
• That I need to move
I need to wake up
I need to change
• I need to shake up
I need to speak out
Something's got to break up
I've been asleep
And I need to wake up, Now
• I am not an island
I am not alone
I am my intentions
Trapped here in this flesh and bone
• And I need to move
I need to wake up
I need to change
I need to shake up
I need to speak out
Something's got to break up
I've been asleep
And I need to wake up, Now
• I want to change
I need to shake up
I need to speak out
Oh, Something's got to break up
I've been asleep
And I need to wake up, Now
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Integrity
• Honesty
• Reliability
• Credibility
• Accountability
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Definition of Honesty
• Truthfulness to yourself and others in what
you say and how you act. Honesty also incl
udes not hiding the truth (deceiving), not bre
aking rules to gain an advantage (cheating),
and not taking something that isn't yours (ste
aling) and any other action that you would hi
de because it is against what you consider m
orally right.
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Why honesty?
• Intrinsic Value of Honesty
–Honesty is the first chapter in the book of
wisdom. (Thomas Jefferson)
• Utilitarian Value of Honesty
–I look for these qualities and characteristics
in people. Honesty is number one, respect,
and absolutely the third would have to be
loyalty.(Summer Altice)
http://www.brainyquote.com/words/ho/honesty174149.html#TRKVlfYGyQA9drRU.99
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Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy
• A way of living dedicated to moderation,
reasonableness, and readiness (ability) to
withstand unexpected failure or economic
downturn.
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Sufficiency Economy on Meso-Level
• The producers or consumers try to
produce or consume within the limit or limit
ation of existing income or resources first.
This is the principle in decreasing the dep
endence and increasing the ability to contr
ol the production themselves, thus deceas
ing the risk from not being able to efficientl
y control the market system.
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Misconception of Sufficiency Economy
• Sufficiency Economy means that one
must constantly be frugal.
• A person cannot indulge himself in luxury
once in a while, provided that it is within hi
s capacity to do so.
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• Sufficiency Economy can be applied to all levels,
branches, and sectors of the economy. It is not nec
essarily limited to the agricultural or rural sectors, or
even the financial, the real estate, and the internatio
nal trade and investment sectors by using similar pr
inciples of emphasizing moderation in performance,
reasonableness, and creating immunity for oneself
and society.
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Moderation
• Sufficiency at a level of not doing
something too little or too much at the exp
ense of oneself or others, for example, pro
ducing and consuming at a moderate level
.
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Reasonableness:
• The decision concerning the level of
sufficiency must be made rationally with c
onsideration of the factors involved and ca
reful anticipation of the outcomes that may
be expected from such action.
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Self-Immunity
• The preparation to cope with the likely
impact and changes in various aspects by
considering the probability of future situati
ons.
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Sufficiency Economy on Macro-Level
• It is a method of development based on
moderation, prudence, and social immunit
y, one that uses knowledge and virtue as
guidelines in living. Significantly, there mu
st be intelligence and perseverance whi
ch will lead to real happiness in leading o
ne’s life.
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Sufficiency Economy on Micro-Level
• On a personal level, the Philosophy of
Sufficiency Economy can be adopted by
all people simply by adhering to the middle
path. The awareness of virtue and honesty
is also essential for people as well as publi
c officials.
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Knowledge Condition
• All-round knowledge in the relevant fields
and prudence in bringing this knowledge i
nto consideration to understand the relatio
nship among the field so as to use them to
aid in the planning and ensure carefulness
in the operation.
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Integrity Condition
• Virtue to be promoted, comprising the
awareness of honesty, patience, persever
ance, and intelligence in leading one’s life.
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“…I ask all of you to aim for moderation and
peace, and work to achieve this goal. We do not ha
ve to be extremely prosperous…If we can maintain
this moderation, then we can be excellent…”
His Majesty the King’s Statement given on 4
December 1974
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I may add that full sufficiency is impossible. If a family
or even a village wants to employ a full sufficiency econ
omy, it would be like returning to the Stone Age…This s
ufficiency means to have enough to live on. Sufficiency
means to lead a reasonably comfortable life, without ex
cess, or overindulgence in luxury, but enough. Some thi
ngs may seem to be extravagant, but if it brings happine
ss, it is permissible as long as it is within the means of t
he individual…”
His Majesty’s birthday speech on 4 December, 1998
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Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy
• “Economic development must be done step by step. It should
begin with the strengthening of our economic foundation, by assur
ing that the majority if our population has enough to live on…Once
reasonable progress has been achieved, we should then embark o
n the next steps, by pursuing more advanced levels of economic d
evelopment.”
• “Being a tiger is not important. The important thing is for us to
have a sufficient economy. A sufficient economy means to have en
ough to support ourselves…we have to take a careful step backwa
rd…each village or district must have relative self-sufficient.”
• His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej
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Max Weber (1864-1920)
‘The Protestant Ethics and The Spirit of Capitalism’.
• Belief in God
• Self-discipline and Hard Work: Each lay person has a
vocation to engage in hard work in the secular world to devel
op their own enterprises, to engage in trade and the accumul
ation of wealth.
• Profit earned through hard work is the gift of God granted to
those who work hard.
• Temperance/ Moderation: Profit earned must be used wisely
for further investment. Wasteful use of hard earned money a
nd the purchase of luxuries is a sin.
39. St.Martin Center for Professional Ethics & Service-Learning
Dr. Weeraphan Phanwilai
• OFFICES:
–Floor 14, Cathedral of Learning (CL14),
Suvarnabhumi Campus, Assumption Un
iversity.
• Tel: 02-723-2140; 02-723-2149
• E-Mail Address:
pnwe1963@hotmail.com
40. St.Martin Center for Professional Ethics & Service-Learning
BG 14032 Professional Ethics Seminar
Thank you for your Attention
41. St.Martin Center for Professional Ethics & Service-Learning
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2. Contact your lecturer in person.
3. If problem cannot be resolved, write a petition
to the director of St. Martin Center for Profession
al Ethics & Service Learning at CL14, Suvarnabh
umi Campus
