What are the 4 cardinal virtues?
Cardinal virtues are the four main moral virtues. The English word cardinal derives from the Latin word cardo, which means "hinge". All other virtues depend on these four: prudence, justice, strength of mind and temperance.
Plato first discussed the cardinal virtues in the Republic, and entered Christian teaching through the disciple of Plato Aristotle. Unlike the theological virtues, which are the gifts of God through grace, the four cardinal virtues can be practiced by anyone; therefore, they represent the foundation of natural morality.
Prudence: the first cardinal virtue
St. Thomas Aquinas classified prudence as the first cardinal virtue because he deals with the intellect. Aristotle defined prudence as recta ratio agibilium, "the right reason applied to practice". It is virtue that allows us to judge correctly what is right and what is wrong in a given situation. When we confuse evil with good, we are not exercising prudence - in fact, we are demonstrating our lack of it.
Since it is so easy to fall into error, prudence requires us to seek the advice of others, especially those we know to be healthy judges of morality. Ignoring the advice or warnings of others whose judgment does not match ours is a sign of imprudence.
Justice: the second cardinal virtue
Justice, according to St. Thomas, is the second cardinal virtue, because it concerns the will. As p. In his modern Catholic dictionary, John A. Hardon observes, "it is constant and permanent determination that gives everyone due rights." We say "justice is blind" because it shouldn't matter what we think of a particular person. If we owe him a debt, we must repay exactly what we owe.
Justice is connected to the idea of rights. While we often use justice in the negative sense ("He got what he deserved"), justice in the proper sense is positive. Injustice occurs when as individuals or by law we deprive someone of what is due to him. Legal rights can never exceed natural rights.
Fortezza
The third cardinal virtue, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, is the fortress. While this virtue is commonly called courage, it is different from what we consider courage today. Fortress allows us to overcome fear and to remain firm in our will in the face of obstacles, but it is always reasoned and reasonable; the person who exercises the fortress does not seek danger because of the danger. Prudence and justice are the virtues through which we decide what to do; fortress gives us the strength to do it.
Fortress is the only cardinal virtue which is also a gift of the Holy Spirit, which allows us to rise above our natural fears in defense of the Christian faith.
Temperance: the fourth cardinal virtue
Temperance, declared St. Thomas, is the fourth and final cardinal virtue. While fortitude deals with the moderation of fear so that we can act, temperance is the moderation of our desires or passions. Food, drink and sex are all necessary for our survival, individually and as a species; however a disordered desire for one of these goods can have disastrous, physical and moral consequences.
Temperance is the virtue that attempts to prevent us from exceeding and, as such, requires the balance of legitimate goods against our excessive desire for them. Our legitimate use of these goods can be different at different times; temperance is the "golden medium" that helps us determine how far we can act on our desires.