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Virtue vs. value
I heard a good sermon this past Sunday. The minister made a distinction between values and virtues. Values, he said, were subjective things, the kinds of things even Christians have been duped into embracing. We talk about values, your values, my values. It means nothing, except “that which I deem important.”
Virtues, he said, were objective and timeless – and terribly out of fashion. Even those of us who believe in virtue have a problem describing someone as “virtuous.” It seems pretentious, super-human, something. It was a nice distinction to think about: relativism in pietistic form, versus truth in unfettered form.
The seven virtues, written about by Prudentius in the 5th century A.D., are these: Chastity, Temperance, Charity, Diligence, Kindness, Patience, Humility. Those aren’t values, and they aren’t subjective. They are timeless qualities that are appreciated and needed in every age and every culture. And they never go out of style. Not like values, which change from time to time.
back to top7 Comments to “Virtue vs. value”
Excellent post, Harrison.
I recall George Will writing on this topic some 10 years ago. It was a great point then and it is now too.
The study and practice of values is called “axiology.”
The study and practice of virtue is called “morality.”
There is a big difference.
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Here are seven virtues listed by God about Himself: He refers to them as His “glory” — which by the way, Jesus says we can share in His inheritance, i.e. His glory.
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Couldn’t agree more but I would like to stress how important virtue is (and there are way more than 7). Virtues are you good character attributes that make you different than everyone else. They are your uniqueness. They are what you have that only you can bring to the party , to work, to your God and to your home.
It takes virtuous character attributes to be successful. Skills, although you need to be proficient is so many of them, will never make you successful in anything. This understanding is key to developing virtue and the good character attributes that go with them. Skills flow from virtue and good character attributes. Without them, skills will be far from you, as will be success in all things.
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Nice quote AWSTAR. Good comments Llama.
There are many different virtues, but all or nearly all virtues show up most vividly under great duress, temptation, danger and sorrow.
Unlike most virtues, most values flow a bit more independently of the extent of the pressure you are under.
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Values always seem halfhearted. When somebody says, “I value cooperation,” it always sounds like something that they prefer but don’t necessarily uphold all the time.
Values are definitely temporary. My parents valued hard work and economic success. People in my generation value job satisfaction and personal fulfillment.
Values are somewhat arbitrary. One company values making an excellent product, while another company values friendly customer service, while a third company values both.
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So, values we have and virtues we seek with little or no assurance of ever attaining them?
Grace grows larger every day.
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Heh. Read Allan Bloom’s “The Closing of the American Mind” for the history of this kind of change in language. He blames it all on one German guy whose name begins with an “N.”
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