On the Cardinality of the Cardinal Virtues

Bibliographic Data

ID23147229
AuthorsDavid S Oderberg (0000-0001-9585-0515, corresponding author)
Year1999
Volume7
Issue3
Pages305-322
Publication date1999-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Philosophical Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0967-2559 • E-ISSN: 1466-4542
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/096725599341785
OpenAlexW1991806000
LanguageEN
Citations received16

This paper is a detailed study of what are traditionally called the cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude. I defend what I call the Cardinality Thesis, that the traditional four and no others are cardinal. I define cardinality in terms of three sub-theses, the first being that the cardinal virtues are jointly necessary for the possession of every other virtue, the second that each of the other virtues is a species of one of the four cardinals, and the third that many of the other virtues are also auxiliaries of one or more cardinals. I provide abstract arguments for each sub-thesis, followed by illustration from concrete cases. I then use these results to shed light on the two fundamental problems of the acquisition of the virtues and their unity, proving some further theses in the latter case.

Cardinal number (linguistics) · Cardinality (data modeling) · Discrete mathematics · Economic Justice · Epistemology · Linguistics · Political science · Possession (linguistics) · Prudence · Regular cardinal · Sociology · Virtue · Computer Science · Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics · Law · Mathematics · Medieval Philosophy and Theology · Philosophical Ethics and Theory · Philosophy

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub