Cultivating Character

Our good life, and so our practice here, centres on the cultivation of reason, wisdom, and virtue. In a previous post we discussed phronesis—practical wisdom. I said that, as an intellectual virtue, wisdom is the source of the moral virtues. To those we now turn.

What follows is a guide to the practical ingredients involved in cultivating moral virtue. At moments there is a step-by-step order to them, but not at others; that is why I refer to these as ingrediants rather than steps.

Defining Moral Virtue

Let's begin by defining moral virtue. While there is no complete list of virtues, there are four cardinal virtues on which all others hinge: phronesis (wisdom), andreia (courage or manliness), sophrosyne (temperance or self-mastery), and dikaiosyne (justice). As stated, the first (wisdom) is an intellectual virtue, while the latter three are moral virtues, and it is the moral virtues which are our focus here.

Three key points to remember, when defining and cultivating moral virtue:

• Virtue is a habit. It is formed by doing virtuous acts. Just as a builder learns by building, you become just by doing just acts, and courageous by enacting courage. The work of habituation is non-negotiable. You cannot think your way to becoming morally virtuous. It is cultivated through action.

• The Doctrine of the Mean. Virtue is a mean (middle) state between two vices: one of excess and one of deficiency. The mean is some rigid mid-way point, rather it is the point of excellence—the bullseye. I think of it also as the ideal kill spot which the hunter aims at, as they raise their gun at a running animal. The mean is relative to us and to the situation. The correct intake of calories differs between the labourer and the office worker. The courage of the office worker and police officer are different. Wisdom discerns the mean in each particular case.

• Virtue unites emotion and reason. A virtuous act is not just right action, but action done for the right reason, at the right time, and with the right feeling. The temperate person not only avoids gluttony but desires the right amount. Your desires can be shaped. Many men seem unaware of this fact, let alone practiced and skilled in it, Your emotions and desires are not simply things that happen to you. Like your health and strength, you also have a say in them, you can work on them. This points to a deeper issue we will explore another time: the importance of what you do with your imagination and fantasy, which matter greatly.

A Guide to Cultivating a Moral Virtue

This process is applied to each moral virtue—courage, temperance, generosity, compassion, firmness, and so on.

1. Identify the Target Virtue and Its Vices

Select one virtue to focus on. Clearly define the mean and the vicious (i.e. vice-ridden) extremes.

• Virtue (Mean): Courage (Andreia)
• Vice (Excess): Rashness
• Vice (Deficiency): Cowardice

You cannot hit a target you cannot see. Your understanding constitutes the limits of your conscious action. To embody a new way of being, you must first think it, and see it, clearly. 

2. Conduct a Virtue-Specific Self-Audit

With ruthless honesty, assess your current behaviour. Where do you exhibit excess or deficiency instead of virtue?

• Example for Courage: "I am rash in online arguments (excess) but avoid difficult conversations with my boss (deficiency)."

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Generalities like "I need to be more courageous" are useless. The audit must be specific and concrete. Get as clear as you can on the what, when, how, and why. Be careful not to make up explanations--a common vice which merely distracts or even misleads you--but try to see clearly.

3. Define the Mean for Your Context

For a specific, upcoming situation, define what the excellent action would be.

• Situation: "I need to confront my roommate about not cleaning."
• Excess (Rashness): Yelling, issuing an ultimatum as soon as he walks in.
• Deficiency (Cowardice): Saying nothing, seething inwardly, and cleaning it up yourself.
• Mean (Courage): Choosing a calm time. Stating the facts plainly: "The kitchen has been piling up. We agreed to clean daily. Can we get back on track?" Being prepared to listen, but also being firm.

If you tend toward cowardice, assertiveness will feel extreme. The less your character is sorted out, the less helpful your emotions are, which means the less you can trust them. You need to hold fast to reason.

4. Conscious, Deliberate Practice (Habituation)

Intentionally place yourself in situations where you can practice the virtue. Start with manageable challenges.

If you have become withdrawn, and want to cultivate the virtue of balanced intimacy with your partner, a first step could be: "This week, I will touch my partner's arm when I pass her in the kitchen." If you have become intemperate with pornography, you might want to take a break for only a week at first. Whatever the example, considet how you approach muscle building with weights. For the most part (but not always) a wise approach is one that proceeds by degrees of difficulty.

Your actions must be:

• Intentional: Done in order to become virtuous.
• Consistent: Repeated practice forges the habit.
• Rightly Motivated: Done for the noble good itself, not for praise.

Intention and motivation are essential because virtue is not merely about outward behaviour, but about the state of one's character. The intention—the deliberate choice to act for the sake of becoming virtuous—is what gives the action its moral quality. The motivation—acting for the sake of the noble good itself, rather than for praise or reward—is what actually reshapes your desires over time. Without this right intention and motivation, you are not habituation true virtue, but merely a hollow imitation that will crumble when external incentives disappear; you are training your appetites to love what is truly good, making the virtue a stable and enduring part of your character. Remember my point elsewhere on this blog, that the good life is motivated by the love of the true, the good, and the just, and that we become what we love.

5. Engage the Socratic Question in the Moment

When an impulse arises, pause and ask: "What would a courageous (or temperate, or just) person do here?"

This question activates your rational mind, disrupting the habitual, vicious response.

6. Reflect on the Action and Its Consequences

After acting, conduct a brief reflection:

• "Did I hit the mean?"
• "What did this reveal about my desires and habits?"
• "What was the outcome?"

This reflection solidifies learning.

It is important to avoid moralism here. You should adopt the neutral mindset of a craftsman learning his trade. Mistakes are inevitable.

7. Seek and Integrate Feedback

If appropriate, ask a trusted friend: "I tried to handle this with courage. From the outside, did it seem balanced?" An external perspective provides a crucial reality check against self-deception.

8. Repeat Until It Becomes Second Nature

Continue practicing across different contexts until the response becomes automatic. The goal is for virtue to become a hexis—a settled disposition. You are progressing when you start to take pleasure in the virtuous act itself.

This is the development of second nature. Your first nature is your innate disposition--those traits and psychological strengths and weaknesses which are a product of nature or nurture. Second nature is the character you have reflectively chosen to cultivate. At first, courage involves overcoming fear. As it deepens, the fear diminishes; your way of seeing changes. Courage becomes natural to you; you feel courageous rather than fearful.

Further Considerations

• Pleasure and Pain as Guides: Progress is marked when you find pleasure in virtuous acts and pain at vicious ones. The reformed glutton should feel discomfort at the thought of overeating.
• The Role of the Phronimos: It is difficult to do this alone. Study exemplars—historical, literary, or in your life—to see the mean modelled in practice.
• The Unity of the Virtues: You cannot truly possess one virtue in isolation. Cultivating courage will force you to confront justice and temperance. Practical wisdom understands how all virtues work together for eudaimonia.
• A Lifelong Process: Character is not built in a week. The virtuous man is not the one who never fails, but the one who continually reorients himself toward the mean.

Conclusion

By following this framework, you move from being a person acted upon by your impulses to a person who acts from a settled state of excellent character. You become a man whom others can trust and respect. Most importantly, you become a man you can trust and respect yourself.