Status Updates From Petit traité des grandes ve...

I was struck by how the word politeness is described and how the term can be deceived: " politeness makes no moral claims for itself. A polite bastard moreover could just as easily be cynical without being any less polite" (Comte-Sponville 8).

Started a chapter on humility, and found this quote interesting: "There is a courage that comes from despair and courage, too, that comes from humility. Besides, we do not choose the source of our courage. Better a true sadness than a false joy" (Comte-sponville 143).

I just went through the entire chapter of gratitude, and found this quote enlightening: "Gratitude (charis) is this joy of memory, this love of the past-it neither suffers over what no longer is nor regrets what has been but joyfully recalls what was" (Bradbury 137). I found this quote interesting because it is revising what is going through the mind when gratitude is being felt.

I just finished the chapter on mercy, and I found this quote pretty fascinating: "Mercy, then, is the virtue of forgiveness, its secret and its truth. It eliminates not the wrong but the resentment, not the memory but the anger, not the fight but the hatred. Mercy is not love but stands in for love when love is not possible or lays the foundation for love when love would be premature" (Comte-Spontville 130,131).

I started the chapter in mercy and saw this quote: "Evil is a matter of will, not ignorance; a matter of heart, not intelligence or mind; a matter of hatred, not stupidity" (Comte-Sponville 123). I found this quote interesting because it gives a new perspective. People choose to be evil, it isn't due to something they are born with. This can be applied to Socrates' and Plato's theory of humanity's inherent goodness.

I finished the section about compassion. I found a quote that speaks volumes in and of itself: "'...love and do what you wish -or be compassionate and do what you must" (Comte-Sponville 117). This really stuck out to me because recently, I've been studying Shaolin monks and eastern philosophy, and this quote made me think of the Yin Yang, and the philosophy that two equal forces harmonize together, like the quote.

I finished the section on generosity, and now I am reading the chapter about compassion. This is a very interesting topic because this virtue is seen more as a greater, broader virtue, than can be in addition to the other virtues stated in this book. I found this quote particularly thoughtful: "To have compassion is to commune in suffering... Pity is thus what separates us from barbarity" (Comte-Sponville 112).

I just started the section about generosity. It's very impressive how the author is able to contrast different virtues and topics immaculately, showing possible circumstances and perspectives the mind could philosophically take on a virtue. I found this quote pretty captivating: "Love doesn't command, it can't be ordered up. Generosity is different: if we want to be generous, we can be" (Comte-Sponville 96).

I just finished the section about justice and it was very insightful. I found this quote pretty interesting: "Gentleness and compassion cannot substitute for justice, nor are they meant to take over where justice ends:" (Comte-Sponville 83).

Greu dar frumos

This book is still very enlightening, has lots of wisdom, and I feel more understanding of the world around me the more I read it. I really liked this quote about justice that I found: "The self is always unjust. Therefore, thinking about justice requires taking the self out of the picture or at least rendering it incapable of influencing the judgment" (Comte-Sponville 72,73).

This book is very at certain points but also amazes me because it's able to put out really deep stuff. In the chapter in which justice is examined, the author quotes Pascal, "There are only two kinds of men: the righteous, who think they are sinners; and the sinners, who think they are righteous" (Andre Comte-Sponville 67). This is very paradoxical cause if you think about it, you can't know which man you are.

I really like this chapter because it touches upon the reasons for justice, and defines the lines of what it entails. Here's what the author said in response to Aristotle's opinion on justice, "Yes, one should respect the laws, or at least obey and defend them, but not at the expense of justice, not at the expense of an innocent life"(Comte-Sponville 65).

I just finished the chapter on courage and just started the chapter about justice. The author is able to explicitly compare justice to previous virtues. Here's what the author states, "Of the four cardinal virtues, justice is probably the only one that is an absolute good in itself. Prudence, temperance, and courage are virtues only when they serve good ends, either directly... motivate them" (Comte-Sponville 61).

I really enjoy this book. I really like this quote on page 56, "In short, courage doesn't have to do with the future, with fear, with imminent harm; it also has to do with the present and is always much more a matter of will than of hope." This quote was cool because there are certain associations with courage the general public thinks of but also doesn't associate with other things like hope.