VIRTUEVIRTUE

MIDN 1/C SmetanaMIDN 1/C Smetana

MIDN 1/C StantonMIDN 1/C Stanton

VIRTUEVIRTUE

““Bravery to endure and bear Bravery to endure and bear up against evil and danger, as up against evil and danger, as well as to go forth and face well as to go forth and face them.”them.”

““The brave man us not he The brave man us not he who feels no fear, but he who feels no fear, but he whose noble mind its fear whose noble mind its fear subdues.”subdues.”

Admiral Karl Claussen, German NavyAdmiral Karl Claussen, German Navy

Moral VirtuesMoral Virtues

What is a virtue?

Aristotle defines a virtue as a capacity that enable a thing or being to function well.

For Aristotle, functioning well is exercising our capacity to reason in accordance with virtue.

In essence, reason allows human beings to direct a course between two extremes

Aristotle’s system is one of means, excesses, and deficiencies

Activity Vice (excess) Virtue (mean) Vice (deficit)Facing death Too much fear

(cowardice)Right amount of fear(courage)

Too little fear(foolhardiness)

Bodily actions (eating,drinking, sex, etc.)

Profligacy Temperance “insensitivity”

Social intercourse Obsequiousness Friendliness SulkinessRetribution forwrongdoing

Injustice Justice Injustice

Why be virtuous?

Virtue will lead to happiness because it is an exercise of reason

The function of man is a certain form of life, namely an activity of the soul exercised in combination with a rational principle or reasonable ground of action. The function of a good man is to exert such activity well.”

Aristotle’s Caution

Though virtue observes the mean in actions and passions, this is not true for all acts and feelings

Some acts are inherently evil (adultery, theft, murder, etc.).

Goodness is one, evil is multiform It’s tough to hit the mark!

How do we become virtuous?

“The true determinant of the mean is not the geometer’s rod, but the guiding principle in the good man’s soul.”

“Thus a brave man appears rash when set beside a coward, and cowardly when set beside a rash man.”

Aristotle gives the following guiding principles:– Keep away from the extreme which is more opposed to the

mean. (One extreme is always more dangerous than the other)

– Note errors into which we personally are most liable to fall– Always be particularly on your guard against pleasure and

pleasant things

Habit and VirtueHabit and Virtue

Virtue comes about, not by a process of nature, but by habituation

Humans are not virtuous by nature, but possess the capacity for virtue

We become virtuous by performing virtuous acts repeatedly until such acts become second nature

What is the right sort of habituation?

The right sort of habituation must avoid excess and deficiency

The anorexic who habituates him/herself to eating can be prone to gluttony

Virtue’s concern with pleasure and pain

Action is not merely enough; a person’s pleasure or pain in consequence of action must be taken into account (Kant?)

“The just and temperate person is not the one who [merely] does these actions, but the one who also does them in the way in which just or temperate people do them.”

Nicomachean EthicsNicomachean Ethics

CourageCourage Courage is concerned with the feelings of

fear and confidence (i.e. death in battle). The motive of courage is the sense of honor. Courage is a mean with respect to things that

inspire confidence or fear (mean balance). Five kinds of courage improperly so called:

– ..Courage vs. Applied Compulsion (citizen-soldier)– ..Experience (the professional soldier)– ..Passion (anger, etc.)– ..Sanguinity (I can suffer nothing – beer muscles)– ..Ignorance (situationally unaware)

FriendshipFriendship Friends are a necessary part of life (a virtue). To be friends, then, they [individuals] must be

mutually recognized as bearing goodwill and wishing well to each other. (i.e. you have to know your friends)

Three kinds of friendship– ..Utility (good for themselves)– ..Pleasure (pleasant to themselves)– ..Friendship by reason of nature (alike in virtue)

The first two types of friendship dissolve easily, whereas the third is enduring

The man who is happy will need virtuous friends

The Fabric of CharacterThe Fabric of Character

What is character? Nancy Sherman says character “has to do with a person’s

traits; that is with attitudes, sensibilities, and beliefs that affect how a person sees, acts, and indeed lives.”

Explains the present actions of individuals and what actions they can be counted on to do (“accountability and pattern to action”).

“To act rightly is to act rightly in effect and conduct. It is to be emotionally engaged, and not merely to have the affect as accompaniment or instrument.”

“An action motivated by the right principle but lacking in the right gesture or feeling falls short of the mean.”

Archilles in VietnamArchilles in Vietnam

Jonathan Shay M.D.

Jonathan ShayJonathan Shay

Psychiatrist working with Vietnam Psychiatrist working with Vietnam Veterans who suffered from PTSDVeterans who suffered from PTSD

Discovered similarities in Veterans war Discovered similarities in Veterans war experiences and Homer’s account of experiences and Homer’s account of Archilles in the IliadArchilles in the Iliad

Knowledge could flow both ways: Scholars Knowledge could flow both ways: Scholars could better understand the Iliad from could better understand the Iliad from listening to veterans; Psychiatrist better listening to veterans; Psychiatrist better understand veterans from reading itunderstand veterans from reading it

Homer in IliadHomer in Iliad

What are the two aspects that What are the two aspects that homer emphasized in Iliad homer emphasized in Iliad

common in heavy and continuous common in heavy and continuous fighting?fighting?

Homer in Iliad (cont)Homer in Iliad (cont)

Betrayal of “what’s right by a Betrayal of “what’s right by a commandercommander

Onset of the Berserk StateOnset of the Berserk State

PTSDPTSD

Loss of Memory Loss of Memory and Trustand Trust

Explosive ViolenceExplosive Violence Flash-backsFlash-backs Alcohol and Drug Alcohol and Drug

AbuseAbuse SuicidalSuicidal IsolationIsolation

Sit in corner of Sit in corner of restaurant restaurant

Choked daughterChoked daughter Hit the deck at workHit the deck at work Drink to sleepDrink to sleep

Didn’t car if he livedDidn’t car if he lived Leave family for Leave family for

weeks at a timeweeks at a time

Grief at the Death Grief at the Death of a Special Comradeof a Special Comrade

War brings special bond between War brings special bond between comradescomrades

Extreme Loyalty between soldiersExtreme Loyalty between soldiers Evident in relationship between Achilles Evident in relationship between Achilles

and Patroklosand Patroklos Misunderstood by the General PublicMisunderstood by the General Public Many Veterans hide this compassionMany Veterans hide this compassion Consider themselves dead after friend Consider themselves dead after friend

diesdies

Soldier’s LoveSoldier’s Love

Grief and the Warrior’s Grief and the Warrior’s RageRage

Communalization of GriefCommunalization of Grief

Arises from unit cohesionArises from unit cohesion In Vietnam; Duty ends, sent homeIn Vietnam; Duty ends, sent home Soldiers did not have opportunity Soldiers did not have opportunity

to talk about trauma, and express to talk about trauma, and express emotionsemotions

May lead to more prolonged and May lead to more prolonged and serious emotional consequencesserious emotional consequences

GriefGriefVietnamVietnam IliadIliad

Rare truces, Used Rare truces, Used dead as booby dead as booby trapstraps

Tears sign of Tears sign of weaknessweakness

Strangers prepared Strangers prepared body for returnbody for return

Truces for funerals Truces for funerals and mourningand mourning

Tears acceptable for Tears acceptable for mourning friendmourning friend

Restorative period of Restorative period of grief, Friends mourned grief, Friends mourned over body and over body and prepared for burialprepared for burial

Importance of GriefImportance of Grief

Military that sends soldiers to Military that sends soldiers to battle and tells them that love battle and tells them that love and grief do not matter; should and grief do not matter; should

not be shocked by their not be shocked by their inhumanity when they return inhumanity when they return

to civilian lifeto civilian life

The EE Cheating Case at The EE Cheating Case at USNAUSNA

Jeffery Gantor, Michael Jeffery Gantor, Michael O’Donnell,O’Donnell,

and Tom Pattonand Tom Patton

SummarySummary

Test stolen given to numerous students Test stolen given to numerous students convinced that it was a gouge test.convinced that it was a gouge test.

Cover-up begins, Mids remain silent Cover-up begins, Mids remain silent protect classmatesprotect classmates

NDIC charge a few individuals, not NDIC charge a few individuals, not directly responsible for and a few are directly responsible for and a few are kicked outkicked out

Superintendent covers-up football Superintendent covers-up football players involvementplayers involvement

Why?Why?

Did the Academy atmosphere Did the Academy atmosphere support or cause this behavior?support or cause this behavior?

Where was the loyalty of the Mids? Where was the loyalty of the Mids? The Superintendent? The Superintendent?

How should this have been How should this have been handled?handled?

Reading AssignmentReading Assignment

Fundamentals of Naval LeadershipFundamentals of Naval Leadership

Lesson 9Lesson 9

Naval Leadership Voices of Naval Leadership Voices of ExperienceExperience

The Components of IntegrityThe Components of Integrity