Veritas et Virtus

Daniel Gibson

The Official Blog of Columbus Classical Academy

So, this week we’ve learned that David had genuine Fortitude, real courage, not because the battle with Goliath turned out well for him, but because David’s bravery had a reason—his unique experience fighting lions and bears—and his cause was right—he...

We’ve been considering the virtue of fortitude this week, in light of the story of David and Goliath.  On Monday, we wondered: What if David had lost? Well, let’s change the story again.  What if David was the Philistine and...

Yesterday we asked, what if David had lost to Goliath?  Well, don’t forget, King Saul assumed that David would lose.  That’s why he told him, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are...

This week, we’ll consider the virtue of Fortitude, also sometimes referred to as courage.  Plato called it “the principle of not fleeing danger, but meeting it.”  Aristotle described it as the mean, between cowardice and recklessness. One of the greatest...

This week, we’ve considered the virtue of Justice.  But is there ever a time when something other than Justice is called for?  Surely, I’m not suggesting that we should ever hope for injustice…?  But what about mercy?  Must we always insist...

One of the hallmarks of the virtue of Justice is the ideal of impartiality: The idea that the decision or outcome in a matter should not depend on who is being judged.  It is the reason why the statue of...

In America, we have Department of Justice, nine Supreme Court Justices, a criminal justice system, a Bureau of Justice Statistics, and so on… Have you ever wondered why we don’t have a Department of Prudence?  Or a public Fortitude system? ...

Remember when we considered that Prudence is not the result of knowledge, but rather a prerequisite to it?  Well, Cicero observed that “[k]nowledge which is divorced from justice may be called cunning rather than wisdom.”  1 Kings tells the story...

This week, we’re considering the virtue of Justice. Aesop tells the fable of The Lion’s Share: A long time ago, the Lion, the Fox, the Jackal, and the Wolf agreed to go hunting together, sharing with each other whatever they found....

If we desire to be prudent, we must not believe everything; we must not be reckless and careless; and we must not be quick-tempered.  Notice that these are all conditions of the heart, not of the mind.  Being discerning, careful,...