Table Of ContentJOSEPFI EPER
T
THE F()l R
C.A.Rl)INL!\l�
,lIRll.TES
PrudenJcues,t ice,
Fortitudpee,r anTceem
Charactoefra ilstlth iewc n tmgosfJ osef
Piepieshr i asb iltiodt iys ctuhsCesh r istian
virtiunae w sa yw hiicsah t o ncaeb starnadc t
concrtehteeo,r aentdip craalc tTihceaa rlg.u
menotft hmiosd eTrhno miapspte atroms o ve
witehff ortelaesasensu d n troulbulceioddn i ty
thhei ghpleasntoe fa brsatctiYoenft.r otmh is
altihteut dher oawb sr illiaunpto tnhl ei ght
problpeemrss,os noaclai,na dl , powlhiitcihc al,
nonoefu si no udra liyl ivceasenc s pae.
Thivso lubmrei ntgosg ·eitnrh eevri,s ed
foramn wdi tah nie1w1 LroduPcitpee1r0'•s1 , D1.
fousrt udoifte hsce a rdviinratlpu reesv,i ously
publii,nshp eeadar tveo lumPersu.d eJnucse,
tiCFlo,r titawnidTe e,mpe ranwceer ceo n
siclhe;r·t> d· i1"-lrLdil :>1P1tip ,hti'laons ophy
asb astiorc i gchotn duDcrPt.i. pee rr edefines
thoer igsiinganli ficoaftn hceevs ier tauneds
theii rI terarnedbl raitntighosenc m.l otsoe
readteordsa y.
Translated by Richard and Clara Winston,
Lawrence E. Lynch, and Daniel F. �oogan
JACKET DESIGN BRYA SEKLILNE N
A HELENA NDK URT WOLBFOFO K
HARCOURT, B&R AVOC\RE,L DI,N C.
757 THIRD AVE"'l'•C:1,0 1N7E W Yc•RK, :S: '
TheF ouCra rdinal Virtues
PRUDENCE
JUSTICE
FORTITUDE
TEMPERANCE
JOSEF PIEPER
EditiwointN ho tse
UNIVERSITOYF NOTRE DAME PRESS
FirPsatp erbEadcikt iCoonp yri©g 1ht96b6y
UniverosfiN toyt rDea meN,o trDea meI,n dia4n6a5 56
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Manufactuirnet dhU en itSetda toefAs m erica
Publisihnea dr rangewmietnHhta rcouBrrta,c& e W orlIdn,c .
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1982,1986,1990,1994,1998,2000,2003
Copyrig1ht9©5 149,5 159,5 b9y P antheBoono kIsn,c .
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All Rightse rRveesd
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 65-14713
ISBN 0-268-00103-0
ISBN 978-0-268-0000-0 (web pdf)
Thes tuduineist heedr ieno nev olumwee rpeu blissheepda raitnte hlisyse quence:
FortitaunddTe e mperance 1954
justice 1955
Prudence 1959
Firpsutb lisihnGe edr manuyn detrh et itlVoems S,i ndne Tra pferkZeuieth,ul n d
MassU,b edri Gee rechtiTgrkaekitta,td uibKee! rughbeyiKt o,s el-VeTrhlepa rge.s ent
editiwoanse ditbeydt hea uthaonrd s lighctultty oa voirde petitniootneassn; d
sourrceefe renhcaevsbe e edne letAeldlq. u otatiiontn hset exta rtea kefrno m
workosfT homaAsq uinuansl,e tshsae u thiosor t herwiidseen tified.
Prudeinsact er ansloaftT iroank utbaetdr i Ke! ughaenidtw ,a st ranslbayRt iecdh ard
andC larWain ston.
justiisact er ansloaftU iboednri Gee rechtiagnkdwe aistt r,a nslbaytL eadw renEc.e
Lynch.
Fortitiusatd re ansloaftVo imo Sni ndne Tra pferkaenidwt a,s t ranslbayDt aendi F.e l
Coogan.
Temperanicsae t ranslaotfZi uoenhu ln dM assa,n dw ast ranslbaytD eadn ieF.l
Coogan.
oo Thisb ooiksp rinotnead c id-free paper.
Tot hmee moorfym ys on
THOMAS PIEPER
who, young scwieten ntist,
asa
tot hUen itSetedasi t nS epte1m69bJ e, r
ansudd dendliyeth de roen
Jul2y41 9,64 .
Contents
PREFACE Xt
PRUDENCE
1.T heF irosftt h Cear dinVailr tu3e s
2.K nowleodfRg eea lainttdyh e
Realizoaftt hiGeoo no d1 0
3.D elimitaantCdio ontnrs2a 3s ts
4.P rudeea nncCdh ari32t y
JUSTICE
1.O nRi ght4s3
2.D utiynR elattoi" oTnhO et her5"4
3.T heR anokfJ uset i4c6
4.T heT hrBeaes Fiocrms ofJ ust7i0c e
5.R ecompaennRdse es titution 76
6.D ist:JribJuutsitv8iec1 e
7.T heL imitosfj ust1i40c e
FORTITUDE
1.R eaditnoFe asilslnB att1l1e7
2.F ortiMtuusdNteo tT rustI tse1l2f2
3.E nduraannAcdte t ac12k6
4.V itMaolr,aM ly,s tFiocr titu13d4e
CONTENTS
TEMPERANCE
1.T emperrmctmed M oder11tio14n5
2.S elfless Self-Preservation 141
3.C hasatniUdtn yc hast1i53t y
4.V irgin1i7t6y
5.O nF asti1n8g1
6.T heS ensoefT ouc1h6 8
7.H umilit19y8
8.T heP oweorfW rat1h93
9.D isciptlhiEeny iens19g8
10T. heF ruiotfsT emperan2c30e
NOTES 207
viii
THE FOUR CARDINAL VIRTUES
Preface
WHEN AGATHOiN nP latSo'ysmp osiutma kehiss t urna t
makinag s peecihnp raiosfeL oveh,e o rganizehsi si deas
arountdh ef oucra rdivniarlt upersu:d e,nj cuestifcoer,t itude,
andt emperaAnnc aev.a nt-gianrtdeel lewchtou,ia nlc identally,
ist heh osatt t hafta moubsa nquAegta, thoonff ernso s pecial
reasonfso rt his approaTchha.t i st,h ec ontemporoafr ies
Socrates alrfeoardg yr anttoeodk ttrhaedsiet ciaotneaglo ries
sprunfgr omt hee arlisepcseutl atitvhei nkiTnhge.y t oofko r
grantendo to nlyt hei deoaf v irtuweh,i csihg nifiheusm an
rightnebssu,ta lstoh ea ttemptto d efiniet i nt hafto urfold
spectrTuhmi.ps a rticiunltaerl lefcrtuaamle wotrhkef, o rmula
whicihsc alltehde" doctrionfev irtu,e"w aso neo ft heg reat
discoveirnti heesh istoorfmy a n'sse lf-under,sa tnadni dti ng
has contintuoeb ed p aratn dp arcoeflt heE uropeminadn. It
hasb ecomaeb asciocm poneonftt h eE uroeapnc onsciousness,
ast her esuolfct e nturoifpe esr sisitnetnetl leecntdueaalvb oyr
all thec reatievlee menotfst hee mergiWnegs tb,o tht he
Greek(sP latAor,i stoatnldet )h eR oman(sC iceSreon,e ca),
botJhu dai(sPmh ilaon)dC hristi(aCnlietmye onftA lexan
driSat,A. u gustine).
Iti st ruteh atth ec lasosriicg ionfts h ed octriofnv ei rtue
latmeard eC hristicarni tsiucssp icoifoi utsT. h eyw arirley
gardietda st oop hilosopahnidnc oatSl c ripteunroaulg Thh.u s,
thepyr efertrote adl akb oucto mmandmeanntdsd utireast her
thaanb ouvti rtuTeos d.e finteh eo bligatoifom nasni sc er
tainal lye gitimaetvee,ne stimabalned,n o doubnte cessary
PREFACE
undertaWkiitnahg .d ocotfcr oimnmea ndmednutsti eso,r
howetvheerisr,a e l wtahydesa ngoefar r bitdrraarwuiipln yg
alist ofr equiraenmldeo nsstiisngo ghft t hh eu mpaenr son who
"ougthodt ot" h oirts h aTthd.eo ctorfvi inreot nut eho,et her
hanhdat,sh itnosg asay b otuhthi usm paenr siostnp ;eb aoktsh
oft hkei nodfb eiwnhgi ichshi wsh ehnee nttehrweso ralsd ,
ac onsequoefhn iccser eat,ea dntndhe kesi snodfb eihneg
ougthost t rtiovweaa rnaddt ttaoi-nbb ye ipnrgu djeunstt,,
braavnetd,e mpeTrhaedt oec.t orifvn iertu teh,ia sti, so ne
form oft hdeo ctorfoi bnlei gbautotin boeyn n ;a turoef free
regimeanntrdae tsitornOi nc tthiceoo nn.t riatarsiy im,st o
cleata rra tiool p,ea wn a y.
Butth iisns o tth pel atcole a unacd hi spuotnat thieo n
varipoousssim boldeoe fse thisctaalt eRmaetnhwteh.ra I,t
wisthod oi tsod escjruiosbntoee ft homsoed aenstd,or eveal,
asf aarsp ossiibtflsue rl,el a tchhta:et a omff outrhb,ea sic
virtuesw,h iacshafi, n cel aspshriacpsaueilt ,t c aenn ambalne
to attthafeiurt nh epsott entoifha inlsai ttuirees.
Int hriesa olrmi,g ionfta hloiutagynhd dti ctiis oonfs mall
importance-isnfh aocbutedl, id s,t ruIsctta henad r.bd ele yx
pecttehdta hte wilrl eb ee ntinreewil nys iognsh utcassh u b
jecWte.m ayw eltlu rtnot h"ew isodfot mha en cieinnt s"
ouhru maqnu etsout n derrsetaalfniodttyr h, wa its dcoomn
taiatn rsu ilnye xhacuosnttiebmlpeoT rhaein netietonyft. i on
thbiosoi kts or evseoamolef t hcaotn temporaneity.
Somree admearyws o ndwehryi ,nm ye ffotrort e vai ve
clashseirciaItls a ogo ef,tc einat c ee rtmaeidni werviatle r,
ThomAaqsu iInd aoss o.n oftr omm oroerl eascsc idental
a
historiicnatle bruebtse tc,aI ub seel itehvtaehtt e e stiomfo ny
th"eu nivteerascoahflaes rt"ui nldli vWiedsetdCe hrrni stian
ithya ass pevcailaTulhe il.si n eosst om ucihnh ipsres onal
genaisusi nt hteru lcyr easteilvflee wsistwnhhe isshc ehe x
pesrsedt hvea scto,n trarpaunnogtfepa ols ssitbaltee ments
abotuhtce o smos-eavshe enr ecoganinzcdea dl ulpeodhn i s
readetrsog ob eyotnhldei mitoafhti iooswns vn i sMiaornk.e d
xii
