Are the six virtues ever vices?

Naturally, I was drawn to the September/October, 2013, Psychology Today article entitled, “When Virtue Becomes Vice” (by Mary Loftus). The author should have read my book, where I explained that the greatest of all social science truths is, “In all situations, it depends on the situation.” That was her main point, although she didn’t state it in the article.

Instead, she quoted psychologists who described situation after situation in which a virtuous quality was not a virtue in a specific situation. In other words, they all described, “In all situations, it depends on the situation.” I love it when social scientists pretend their research findings explain philosophical truths.

Regarding the headline of this piece, Aristotle made the “virtue becomes vice” point more than two thousand years ago. We call it “The Golden Mean;” or we say, “Everything in moderation.” Building on Aristotle, the psychologists quoted in this article said moderation is built into every virtue. There is even a section describing the need to keep “balance” in balance.

Apparently, these “schooled” people don’t know the six virtues of the “educated” person. Therefore, they don’t know that the ideal of the educated person takes an extreme form — because it is an ideal. I love irony.

The article was a good read, though, causing me to ask three questions about extreme virtue:

1. Is there any situation in which we could have too much understanding as the basis for actions that are too imaginative? (too much intellect?)
2. Is there any situation in which we could have too much strength as the basis for actions that are too courageous? (too much character strength?)
3. Is there any situation in which we could have too much humility as the basis for actions that are too generous? (too much spirituality?)

None of the situations in the article addressed these questions, so I am soliciting reader responses. Please describe a situation in which U, I, S, C, H or G would not be a virtue. Two caveats:

• I already blogged that generosity is a virtue only after one’s basic needs are met (assuming it’s possible for a starving person to give away food).
• If you are good at something and say you are not good, it’s not humility; it’s false humility, which everybody knows is NOT a virtue.

BTW — Another irony is the PT cover girl — the picture of a green-eyed, blonde beauty with a halo on her head and a cigarette in her hand. It’s thesis is also unrelated to the headline. As a capitalistic organization, PT cares mainly about one thing, and it’s not virtue. I love irony.