Cardinal virtues

Ryan is a practicing stoic.

He wrote a whole series of books on the cardinal virtues of stoicism.

The word cardinal comes from an ancient Latin word, cardo, which means hinge.

The cardinal virtues are the virtues on which a good life hinges.

The Stoics had four cardinal virtues, the ancient Greeks as well, the Christians modeled the same virtues, and all ancient faith and wisdom traditions come back to the same virtues over and over and over again.

Wisdom, discipline, Ryan talks about justice, I call that love.

and courage.

Wisdom, discipline, love, and courage.

Most true.

Thus then, I said, the nature and place in the state of one of the four virtues has somehow or other been discovered.

And in my humble opinion, very satisfactorily discovered, he replied.

Again, I said, there is no difficulty in seeing the nature of courage, and in what part that quality resides which gives the name of courageous to the state.

Most truly, then, may we deem temperance to be the agreement of the naturally superior and inferior as to the right to rule of either, both in States and individuals.

I entirely agree with you.

And so, I said, we may consider three out of the four virtues to have been discovered in our State; the last of those qualities which make a State virtuous must be justice.

If we only knew what that was.

Most true.

Thus, then, I said, the nature and place in the state of one of the four virtues has somehow or other been discovered.

And in my humble opinion, very satisfactorily discovered, he replied.

Again, I said, there is no difficulty in seeing the nature of courage, and in what part that quality resides which gives the name of courageous to the state.

Most truly, then, may we deem temperance to be the agreement of the naturally superior and inferior, as to the right to rule of either, both in states and individuals.

I entirely agree with you.

And so, I said, we may consider three out of the four virtues to have been discovered in our state.

The last of those qualities which make a state virtuous must be justice.