Christian Theories of Virtue

Author(s):  
W. Jay Wood

This chapter surveys important points of development in Christian thinking about the virtues. Christians have not been the only champions of virtue for the last two millennia. The centrality of imitating and following Christ to achieve one’s true telos has, however, put a very distinctive stamp on Christian thinking about what qualities of character count as virtues. Moral and theological virtues such as humility, compassion, hope, and love are largely absent from cultural landscapes Christians have shared with other virtue traditions. Even traits named in common with other virtue traditions take on a distinctive Christian form when situated within the Christian narrative. Despite the differences among Christians about how to think about particular virtues, or even whether the virtue tradition is the best way to think about the moral life, they agree that all stand in need of divine aid if they are to achieve Christlikeness.

Author(s):  
Craig A. Boyd ◽  
Kevin Timpe

The Virtues: A Very Short Introduction explores both the nature of virtue in general and specific kinds of virtues. These include the moral virtues, the intellectual virtues, and the theological virtues, as well as the capital vices. From the philosophy of Aristotle and Confucius, to the paintings of Raphael, Botticelli, and many more, fascination with the virtues has endured and evolved to fit a wide range of cultural, religious, and philosophical contexts through the centuries. This VSI examines the role of the virtues in the moral life, their cultivation, and how they offer ways of thinking and acting that are alternatives to mere rule-following. It also considers the relationship of the virtues to one’s own emotions, desires, and rational capacities.


1994 ◽  
Vol 39 (9) ◽  
pp. 913-913
Author(s):  
Stewart Ehly
Keyword(s):  

Author(s):  
William Schweiker

This article advances a conception of global ethics in terms of the centrality of responsibility to the moral life and also the moral good of the enhancement of life. In contrast to some forms of global ethics, the article also seeks to warrant the use of religious sources in developing such an ethics. Specifically, the article seeks to demonstrate the greater adequacy of a global ethics of responsibility for the enhancement of life against rival conceptions developed in terms of Human Rights discourse or the so-called Capabilities Approach. The article ends with a conception of ‘conscience’ as the mode of human moral being and the experience of religious transcendence within the domains of human social and historical life. From this idea, conscience is specified a human right and capacity to determine the humane use of religious resources and also the norm for the rejection of inhumane expressions of religion within global ethics.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-187
Author(s):  
Brych M ◽  

In Ukraine, there is no holistic perception of historical and cultural environments of monumental ensembles and complexes as an object of protection and use today. Their preservation will be effective only when the understanding of the object of protection is extended to the boundaries of the cultural landscape, including all its valuable elements. The best way to implement this concept is to include cultural landscapes in the open-air museum exhibition as its integral, active, and living element.


Author(s):  
Gerald Gaus

This book lays out a vision for how we should theorize about justice in a diverse society. It shows how free and equal people, faced with intractable struggles and irreconcilable conflicts, might share a common moral life shaped by a just framework. The book argues that if we are to take diversity seriously and if moral inquiry is sincere about shaping the world, then the pursuit of idealized and perfect theories of justice—essentially, the entire production of theories of justice that has dominated political philosophy for the past forty years—needs to change. Drawing on recent work in social science and philosophy, the book points to an important paradox: only those in a heterogeneous society—with its various religious, moral, and political perspectives—have a reasonable hope of understanding what an ideally just society would be like. However, due to its very nature, this world could never be collectively devoted to any single ideal. The book defends the moral constitution of this pluralistic, open society, where the very clash and disagreement of ideals spurs all to better understand what their personal ideals of justice happen to be. Presenting an original framework for how we should think about morality, this book rigorously analyzes a theory of ideal justice more suitable for contemporary times.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-36
Author(s):  
D. A. Dirin ◽  
Paul Fryer

The paper is devoted to ethno-cultural landscapes of the Republic of Tuva. Ethnocultural landscapes (ECLs) are specific socio-environmental systems that developed as a result of the interaction of ethnic groups with their natural and social environments and are in a constant process of transformation. An attempt is made to identify the mechanisms of the formation, functioning and dynamics of ethnocultural landscapes in the specific conditions of the intracontinental cross-border mountain region, as well as to establish the main factors-catalysts of their modern changes. For the first time an attempt is made to delimit and map the ethnocultural landscapes of Tuva. For this, literary sources, statistical data and thematic maps of different times are analyzed using geoinformation methods. The results of 2014-2018 field studies are also used, during which interviews with representatives of different ethno-territorial, gender, age and social groups were taken. It is revealed that the key factors of Tuva’s ethnocultural landscape genesis are the natural isolation of its territory; the features of its landscape structure; the role of government; population migrations from other regions and the cultural diffusion provoked by them. 13 ethnocultural landscapes are identified at the regional level. Their modern transformation is determined by the shift of climatic cycles, aridisation, globalisation of sociocultural processes, changes in economic specialisation and ethnopsychological stereotypes.


Author(s):  
P. N. Vanyushin ◽  
A. V. Kuzin ◽  
А. А. Pavlov ◽  
А. V. Nefedov ◽  
N. А. Ivannikova

The article analyzes the current state of the irrigation and drainage systems of the Ryazan region. It is shown that the lack of technical operation of the drainage network led to its failure and failure to perform its functions. Irrigation, in spite of the fact that it gives stability in the years of droughts due to aging and the dismantling of machinery and equipment is not carried out. It is shown that for the reconstruction and / or modernization of irrigation and drainage systems it is necessary on the basis of inventory to determine the environmentally optimal and economically viable systems, their parts and structures that require rehabilitation, reconstruction and / or modernization. The decision to reconstruct may include not only the ameliorative system as a whole, but also some part of it, for example, a canal, pipeline or a separate hydraulic structure, taking into account the justification of economic feasibility. In dry periods, for the Meshcherskaya lowland and areas with peat soils, it is necessary to provide for land-reclamation systems for dual regulation of soil moisture, which reduces the possibility of peat ignition and the spread of fire. It should be borne in mind that the reconstruction of land-reclamation systems has its specific features, which include: socio-economic (increasing the productivity of agricultural land, obtaining additional income, creating modern infrastructure, increasing employment, living conditions, labor, etc.) ; ecological (creation of cultural landscapes, ensuring their ecological sustainability, prevention of land degradation processes, improvement of recreational conditions, elimination of waterlogging, flooding, salinization, erosion, etc.). Reclamation activities are carried out in compliance with the requirements of land, water, forestry legislation of the Russian Federation, as well as the legislation of the Russian Federation on the protection of the environment, on the subsurface, on the plant world and on the animal world.


2020 ◽  
Vol 384 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-193
Author(s):  
A. Raimkulova

At the present stage, Kazakh musical culture is heterogeneous. It represents traditions coexisting at the same time and interacting with each other: Kazakh ethnic and newly established composer school (tradition). Examining changes in cultural landscapes of the 20th century I reveal the peculiarities of interaction and dialogue between two kinds of culture: ethnic and global (endogenous and exogenous). The procedures include the complex study of the history of Kazakh culture in the 20th century, stylistic analysis of traditional and composer’s music, semiotic approach to intercultural interaction, as far as a comparative analysis of oral and written music of 19th and 20th centuries. On one hand, dramatic changes in the structure of music culture were caused by external objective reasons: new industrial and postindustrial civilization phases (urbanization and information technologies); intensification of interaction with western (mainly Russian) cultures, etc. On the other hand, some changes were inspired by inner factors: diverse development of local song and kui (dombyra piece) traditions; Soviet cultural policy. As a result new type (or layer) of national culture – Kazakh composers’ music – appeared. It was connected with the formation of a national style based on transcriptions and borrowing. Traditional music was influenced by new social institutions (philharmonic halls, theatres, radio, conservatoire) that caused changes in the creative process (decrease of oral transmission, lack of traditional social context) as well as in the style (virtuoso performance, new genres of songs).


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