Harvard Classics Reading Club discussion

I was struck by a number of things in the first volume.

One of the things that struck me from Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography was his identification of 13 virtues and his attempts to track his compliance. Many of the initial books in the Harvard Classics involve the discussion of virtues, and it seems clear to me that virtues were a large part of the public discourse. Do we, today, have a sufficient discourse in this area? Even if a person does not agree with each of the virtues or the objective of “moral perfection”, hearing others discuss the topics might be thought provoking.

The list of virtues seems fairly relevant today; however, serious discussion of the “virtues” are missing from my day to day life—and I assume the day to day life of others.

I wonder if the non-judgmental discussion of these virtues would be a good topic for a podcast series. In learning moral boundaries, my initial education was described in the form of clear cut rules, i.e. “Lying is wrong.” As an adult, it has been difficult to deal with a world where lying (and other actions in violation of those early clear cut rules) is—expected. It has taken many years to understand the spectrum of decision-making possibilities as it relates to moral rules, and the consequences related to different choices. In the absence of a discussion of the spectrum of decision-making possibilities/consequences related to various freedoms/choices as it relates to being a moral person, do we as a society deprive individuals of information related to the pros/cons of various decisions. As a result, do less virtuous voices cause some people to make decisions they regret simply because they were deprived of that voice.

Some of the things I wonder about—

Would the list of virtues—and the definitions of those virtues—be the same for the different genders?

Could a discussion of temperance assist people with making healthy choices related to issues such a health/fitness, legalization of substances, alcohol, etc.?

Could a discussion of the virtue of silence have value to communications shared across social media?

Could a discussion of order be of value to an individual or family struggling with the issue of “hoarding”? etc. . .

A discussion of what most people agree are desirable characteristics of a person seems missing from popular culture.