Human Virtues: Forming Intellectual Virtues Can Be Fun!

When we think of human virtues, we often think of the moral virtues – the ones that help us to choose what is good and to strengthen our character. In fact, the moral virtues aren’t all that popular. Hopefully that is changing. But the intellectual virtues – the ones that help us to know and clarify truth – have an even longer journey to the popular circle.

Human Virtues – On the Path to Human Fulfillment

What most people don’t realize is how much happiness they turn their backs on when they disregard virtue. We hear so much about “Christian values,” but values are just priorities – what’s important to you? The human virtues are all about living a life that optimizes who and what God created us to be as human persons. They aren’t enough to bring us perfect happiness (that comes from unity with God), but they lay the groundwork for much of it. Wanna realize your full potential? Why not follow the plan the Master Designer laid out for us?

Intellectual Virtues – Opening a World of Wonder

We especially tend to disregard the intellectual virtues because our culture (even within the Church) tends to think of intellectual development as elitist. Smart people are snobs.

So here’s the good news. Developing the intellectual virtues does not necessarily mean becoming a scholar – at least not in the traditional sense. What does it mean?

It means developing a healthy curiosity about the world around us. It means enjoying the process of seeking out truth. It means being excited with wonder and awe at the incredible, mystical world we live in.

In her excellent article, “Watching Well: Developing the Intellectual Virtue of Curiosity,” Catholic movie critic Alissa Wilkinson shares one fun way to develop intellectual virtue – by watching movies and TV shows and thinking about them. In this article she explores the virtue of curiosity and explains how “watching well” can help cultivate that virtue. This really is a delightful and insightful article.

Read it here.

Alissa Wilkinson makes a strong case that a life of adventure heretofore unknown to us lies just beyond the threshold of intellectual virtue. And what she points out about intellectual virtue is true about all of the human virtues.

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