natural virtue
- noun
- /ˈnæʧərəl ˈvɜrˌtju/
- Formal
:
virtud natural
- Justice is considered a natural virtue, reflecting our innate sense of fairness in human interaction.
Examples
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In scholastic philosophy, prudence is often described as a natural virtue because it arises from human reasoning.
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For whereas justice, "of all the human, natural virtues, is literally the fundamental virtue," (n48) the worst "disruption of order in the field of things naturally human."
Academic text (2005) -
I find it equally important to practice useful natural virtues because people need to see that we are well-balanced and knowledgeable people.
Blog text (10) -
It is time to return to theological and natural virtues, as paths that bring us closer to God.
Blog text (3) -
Bad philosophy can so distort the understanding as to degrade sentiment and see natural virtue as self-refuting.
Academic text (2005) -
But they also implied that even in achieving the natural virtues, there was some incompleteness, some natural inability to achieve what philosophy could understand to be proper and due to human nature.
Academic text (1996) -
She speaks of trust enabling women's natural virtue to manifest itself: pre-formatted table
Academic text (2011) -
Aristotle believed that all human beings had a natural virtue that allowed them to prefer virtuous actions, but there was a caveat: to attain virtue in its purest form requires deliberation.
Academic text (2002) -
Her call for public education is a smoothly written compendium of Enlightenment and Revolutionary values: the natural virtue of children, the advantages of physical exercise, the importance of sensibility to personal character, the simplicity and frankness necessary to Republican morals, and the role that the citizen-soldier plays in the defense of France.
Academic text (2011) -
Fortitude, as a natural virtue, supports individuals in facing challenges with courage and resolve.
Synonyms
259
3.8
A good personal quality like honesty or kindness
1
8.9
One of the four main moral qualities: careful thinking, fairness, self-control, and courage
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally straightforward — 'natural' modifies 'virtue,' so a learner who knows both words can infer it means a virtue that comes from nature. However, the entry’s specific scholastic sense (the technical doctrine about the four cardinal virtues vs. divine grace) is domain-specific and not fully predictable for a B1 learner, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Natural virtue paints the picture of a good quality that is natural, growing from a person's nature like a plant taking root, and virtue means a steady habit. So, it means a moral strength people can have or develop by themselves rather than a gift of 'divine grace'.