Editing Cardinal virtues (section)

=== Hellenistic philosophy ===
Plato associated the four cardinal virtues with the social classes of the ideal city described in ''The Republic'', and with the faculties of humanity. Plato narrates a discussion of the character of a good city where the following is agreed upon:

{{Blockquote|Clearly, then, it will be wise, brave, temperate [literally: healthy-minded], and just.
|427e;<ref>{{Cite book |last=Plato |title=The Republic of Plato: with an English translation by Paul Shorey |title-link=Republic (Plato) |date=1937 |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]]; [[William Heinemann Ltd.]] |isbn=<!-- none found --> |edition=Revised and Reprinted |series=[[Loeb Classical Library]] |volume=1<!-- L237 is newer edition by Emlyn-Jones and Preddy, not Shorey)--> |location=[[Cambridge, Massachusetts]]; [[London]] |page=[https://archive.org/details/republicshorey01platuoft/page/346/mode/2up 347] |translator-last=Shorey |translator-first=Paul |lccn=a44004515 <!-- Vol. 1. unk83017287, Vol. 2. a44004515 --> |oclc=669777366 |ol=OL20425902M <!-- Vol. 1. OL20425902M, Vol. 2. non found --> |id={{Internet Archive|republicshorey01platuoft}} |quote=Clearly, then, it will be wise, brave, sober, and just. |author-link=Plato |orig-date=1930 |translator-link=Paul Shorey}}</ref> see also 435b}}

''Temperance''{{efn|[[Cicero]] and Plato sometimes preferred the word [[Sophrosyne|{{Transliteration|grc|sōphrosynē}}]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Strauch|first=E.H.|title=Beyond Literary Theory: Literature as a Search for the Meaning of Human Destiny|location=[[Lanham, Maryland]]|publisher=[[University Press of America]]|year=2001|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Wo7FP1Uq2kcC&pg=PA166 166] }}</ref>}} was most closely associated with the producing classes, the farmers and craftsmen, to moderate their animal appetites. ''Fortitude'' was assigned to the warrior class, to strengthen their fighting spirit. ''Prudence'' was assigned to the rulers, to guide their reason. ''Justice'' stood above these three to properly regulate the relations among them.

Plato sometimes{{efn|e.g., ''[[Protagoras (dialogue)|Protagoras]]'' 349b; cf. 324e, 329c, 330b, 331a-c.}} lists holiness ({{Transliteration|grc|hosiotes}}, {{Transliteration|grc|[[eusebeia]]}}, {{Transliteration|grc|aidos}}) amongst the cardinal virtues. He especially associates holiness with justice, but leaves their precise relationship unexplained.

In Aristotle's ''[[Rhetoric (Aristotle)|Rhetoric]]'', we read:

{{Blockquote|The forms of Virtue are justice, courage, temperance, magnificence, magnanimity, liberality, gentleness, prudence, wisdom.
|''Rhetoric'' 1366b1<ref>{{cite web |author=Aristotle |title=Rhetoric Book I - Chapter 9 |url=https://kairos.technorhetoric.net/stasis/2017/honeycutt/aristotle/rhet1-9.html}}</ref>}}

These are expounded fully in the ''[[Nicomachean Ethics]]'' III.6-V.2.

[[Philo|Philo of Alexandria]], a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher, also recognized the four cardinal virtues as prudence, temperance, courage, and justice. In his writings, he states:

{{Blockquote|text=In these words Moses intends to sketch out the particular virtues. And they also are four in number, prudence, temperance, courage, and justice.|author=Philo|title=''[[Philo's Works]]''|source=Allegorical Interpretation 1.XIX<ref>{{Cite web |title=Philo: Works of Philo Judaeus |website= Christian Classics Ethereal Library |url=https://ccel.org/ccel/philo/works/works.iii.ii.html#iii.ii-p22.3 |access-date=2022-12-20 }}</ref>}}

These virtues, according to Philo, serve as guiding principles for a virtuous and fulfilling life.