"People do not display or act on virtue if they have not been taught what virtue is. Virtue is a learned and habituated thing, not a natural thing. If virtue was natural we would not need commandments or laws."
And it's something that, if not practiced and nurtured, will atrophy and die. I think this is what contributes to the decadence t…
"People do not display or act on virtue if they have not been taught what virtue is. Virtue is a learned and habituated thing, not a natural thing. If virtue was natural we would not need commandments or laws."
And it's something that, if not practiced and nurtured, will atrophy and die. I think this is what contributes to the decadence that precedes the collapse of some civilizations. Life becomes so "good" that they're freed from the obligations of keeping society healthy. It seems like everything's working fine, but like termites eating away at a house's frame, the absence of practicing civic virtue leaves a hollowed skeleton of what looks like a functioning society. Eventually, the house will succumb.
"People do not display or act on virtue if they have not been taught what virtue is. Virtue is a learned and habituated thing, not a natural thing. If virtue was natural we would not need commandments or laws."
And it's something that, if not practiced and nurtured, will atrophy and die. I think this is what contributes to the decadence that precedes the collapse of some civilizations. Life becomes so "good" that they're freed from the obligations of keeping society healthy. It seems like everything's working fine, but like termites eating away at a house's frame, the absence of practicing civic virtue leaves a hollowed skeleton of what looks like a functioning society. Eventually, the house will succumb.