In a broad sense, aristocratic values are masculine values, and democratic values — egalitarian values — are feminine values. It is also true that, also in a broad sense, materialism is feminine, because women, for the most part, value security over liberty.
The word "virtue" predates Christianity and its use runs back to the Greeks and Romans, which is why I point out that if you don't study some of the practical practical philosophy developed by these cultures you are only hurting yourself.
Wikipedia (which is sometimes good and sometimes nonsense) did get it right about virtue: "Virtus was a specific virtue in Ancient Rome. It carries connotations of valor, manliness, excellence, courage, character, and worth, perceived as masculine strengths (from Latin vir, 'man')."
Throughout history the masculine powers always boiled down to four things: the Four Cardinal Virtues. Prudentia (prudence), iustitia (justice), temperantia (temperance, self-control), and fortitudo (courage). You see these four not just in Christianity but also in Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. It implies a link between virtus (powers of man) and the Greek concept of arete (excellence). It means a good man, who does the right thing.
As I've noted before, you gain eudaimonia (well-being, flourishing) through arete (excellence), which comes through courage (persistance, confidence), prudence (choosing the right path out of many), justice (giving each his due) and self-control (not being impulsive). These are masculine powers, and have been described for at least 2500 years.
Wikipedia also got this right:
"Valor, courage, and manliness are not things that can be pursued in the private sphere of the individual or the individual's private concerns. There could be no virtue in exploiting one's manliness in the pursuit of personal wealth, for example. Virtus is exercised in the pursuit of gloria for the benefit of the res publica resulting in the winning of eternal 'memoria.' According to D.C. Earl 'Outside the service of the res publica there can be no magistratus and therefore, strictly speaking, no gloria, no nobilitas, no virtus'".
You don't have to know Latin to understand what that means. Let's just say you shouldn't do things just for yourself, and that the application of the Four Cardinal Virtues just doesn't help yourself; it helps society. This is why feminine "democracy" destroys, because there is no masculine virtue in it.
One only needs to look how effeminate and weak so many men have become today. That's what democracy - and feminism (which is democratic and leftist) - does to some men. Which is why I point out that being confident and competent, prudent, just and having self-control overcomes the imposition of democracy and feminism.
"Virtue" in the masculine sense was not generally applied to women (although at times it was). The highest regarded female virtue was pudicitia: 'modesty' or 'chastity,' which is understandable even today in this world of Slutwalks and young women sleeping with 30 men.
"Virtus" was commonly not applied to children, which makes sense since they don't develop any reason until they're at least five years old.
It didn't apply to slaves (and Aristotle noticed that some people were natural slaves). Slaves were often referred to as puer (Latin for boy), which means that those who never grow up and apply the Four Cardinal Virtues and in a sense are perpetually slaves. They want others to take care of them, and are impulsive and unmanly.
You might want to consider the fact that Moses wandered in the desert for 40 years is so those with the slave-mentality would die off.
We now live in an age of declining masculine and ascending slave/democracy/female values. It won't last, of course. It never does. Sooner or later, the masculine powers - on which civilization is based - will again ascend.
2 comments:
This is a superb piece of work Bob. It is the only one of its type I have run across in the manosphere too.
It's too bad, I see so many young men putting on airs of alpha supremacy - no wonder the women are out of control! Who can respect some pasty faced kid trying to act like a dog?
The virtuous man automatically garners respect. Even the raging femc*nts can't say squat about the virtuous man.
What Glen said.
We need to say this from the rooftops.
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