The table just below provides a format for spelling out individual virtues through (1) a general description, (2) the correlative vices of excess and defect, (3) the skills and mental states that accompany and support it, and (4) real and fictional individuals who embody it. Following the table are hints on how to identify and characterize virtues. We start with the virtue of integrity:
Virtue |
Description |
Excess |
Defect |
Obstacles to realizing the virtue in professional practices |
Moral Exemplar |
Integrity |
A meta-virtue in which the holder exhibits unity of character manifested in holding together even in the face of strong disruptive pressures or temptations |
Excess: Rigidity- sticking to one's guns even when one is obviously wrong (2,3) |
Defect: Wantonness. A condition where one exhibits no stability or consistency in character |
Individual corruption: Individuals can be tempted by greed toward the vice of defect. Lack of moral courage can also move one to both extremes |
Saint Thomas More as portrayed in Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons. More refuses to take an oath that goes against the core beliefs in terms of which he defines himself. |
Institutional Corruption: One may work in an organization where corruption is the norm. This generates dilemmas like following an illegal order or getting fired. |
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