Cardinal virtues

High school (ages 12+)
Philosophy & Big Questions

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/cardinal-virtues

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the philosophical originators?Plato (Republic) and Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics)
2. What is the etymological basis?Latin 'cardo' (hinge), signifying their role as central supports for other virtues
3. What are the four cardinal virtues?The four cardinal virtues are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. They are like inner superpowers that help us make good choices, be fair, brave, and balanced.
4. Why are they called "cardinal" virtues?They are called cardinal because they are like hinges that hold up all other good qualities. They are the main building blocks for a happy life.

Cardinal Virtues: The four principal moral virtues-prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance-considered foundational to ethical living.
Prudence (Phronesis): Practical wisdom; the intellectual virtue of discerning the right course of action in specific circumstances.
Justice (Dikaiosyne): The virtue concerned with fairness, equity, and the rightful distribution of goods and treatment.
Fortitude (Andreia): Courage; the virtue enabling one to face fear, pain, and adversity for the sake of the good.