Virtue?

Virtue is described simply as behavior showing high moral standards.  There are many virtues, like piety, courage, honesty, generosity, and so forth.

As we discussed in class, Socrates said something like if you cannot explain virtue, then you cannot be virtuous. 

Virtue is difficult to explain, and perhaps our lack of definition can help us improve ourselves and even make us more virtuous. However, maybe this means that no one can be truly virtuous. 

I would argue though that while it seems some people are virtuous, most people are not.  Take honesty for an example.  Most people are not honest and will lie their way out of anything to get themselves out of trouble, especially things seen as not “good” or morally acceptable.  For example, President Bill Clinton, who served two terms in office, lied under oath both about smoking marijuana and having sexual affair with someone other than his wife, saying that he “did not inhale” and that he didn’t have an affair. 

If our politics cannot exemplify true virtue, neither can other sectors of society, thus leading to corruption. 

But being too virtuous is bad also.  Being too generous means that people will take advantage of you and being too courageous means that you will get killed on the battlefield.  You cannot be courageous by being timid and holding back in battle.  Charging into battle would be the courageous yet stupid thing to do, unless you were really good at killing people.  Being calm and temperate and counter attacking the charging courageous man is the smarter thing to do and is more courageous in and of itself, because at least he is not running away