'Divine States') can be regarded as virtues in the European sense. Other examples of this notion include the concept of merit in Asian traditions as well as De ( Chinese 德). The opposite of virtue is vice, and the vicious person takes pleasure in habitual wrong-doing to their detriment. Such a person is said to be virtuous through having cultivated such a disposition. When someone takes pleasure in doing what is right, even when it is difficult or initially unpleasant, they can establish virtue as a habit.
In human practical ethics, a virtue is a disposition to choose actions that succeed in showing high moral standards: doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong in a given field of endeavour, even when doing so may be unnecessary from a utilitarian perspective. The cultivation and refinement of virtue is held to be the ' good of humanity' and thus is valued as an end purpose of life or a foundational principle of being. Cardinal and Theological Virtues by Raphael, 1511Ī virtue ( Latin: virtus) is a trait of excellence, including traits that may be moral, social, or intellectual. For other uses, see Virtue (disambiguation).
