Vice
- For other uses, see (disambiguation).
Vice is the opposite of virtue. The modern English term that best captures its original meaning is the word vicious, which means "full of vice." In this sense, the word vice comes from the Latin word vitium, meaning "failing or defect".
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2 The Christian vices 3 Harmony of vices 4 Popular usage 5 References |
One way of organising the vices is as the corruption of the virtues. A virtue can be corrupted by nonuse, misuse, or overuse. Thus the cardinal vices would be lust (nonuse of temperance), cowardice (nonuse of courage), folly (misuse of an virtue, opposite of wisdom), and venality (nonuse of justice). See: The four virtues.
The Christian vices would be blasphemy (faith betrayed), unforgiveness (hope betrayed), apostasy (nonuse of piety), and indifference (scripturally, a "hardened heart"), the betrayal of perfect love: charity.
Since virtues might be said to harmonize, so that every virtue requires all the virtues to some extent, vices also might be said to harmonize; i.e. every vice requires other vices to some extent. If this is the case, the presence of one vice in an individual might be evidence of others.
The term vice is also popularly applied to various activities considered immoral by some; a list of these might include the use of alcohol and other recreational drugss, sexual promiscuity, gambling, recklessness, cheating, lying, selfishness, and Effeminacy (soft, unmanliness).
Vice and virtue
The Christian vices
Harmony of vices
Popular usage
References
See also
Bibliography
Sources
All etymologies according to the Oxford English Dictionary.