I wonder. Is virtue inherited, or is virtue a learned behavior? I believe we have inherited a basic moral sense of right and wrong, which is either strengthened or weakened by those we are exposed to as we age toward competency. Our biological parents may or may not have the deepest impact on us. There are the friends we make as we grow up. There is our formal education or lack thereof. And, of course, there are the consequences of decisions we make that end up determining our character.
Thanks for your comment, Ed. I believe the basic framework is biological, an outgrowth of our social nature. ALL of mankind's worthwhile achievements and most of its dishonorable but substantial ones have been through cooperation. This seems to be the thrust, too, of Vale's thoughts on the matter. We are social creatures. The Romantic Experiment (individualism and "me against the world") has born a great deal of unhealthy fruit.
I wonder. Is virtue inherited, or is virtue a learned behavior? I believe we have inherited a basic moral sense of right and wrong, which is either strengthened or weakened by those we are exposed to as we age toward competency. Our biological parents may or may not have the deepest impact on us. There are the friends we make as we grow up. There is our formal education or lack thereof. And, of course, there are the consequences of decisions we make that end up determining our character.
Thanks for your comment, Ed. I believe the basic framework is biological, an outgrowth of our social nature. ALL of mankind's worthwhile achievements and most of its dishonorable but substantial ones have been through cooperation. This seems to be the thrust, too, of Vale's thoughts on the matter. We are social creatures. The Romantic Experiment (individualism and "me against the world") has born a great deal of unhealthy fruit.