Virtue as a Social Capital

Abstract

The present article, describing the concept of virtue and its place in the formation of a person’s maturity, points to the social dimension of moral competences that have their repercussions in interpersonal relations. Virtue is a social capital thanks to the fact that it triggers definite mechanisms in a man, enabling him to get involved in the realization of the common good. It becomes a special cement of human relations when it ensures proper conditions for forming existential bonds with others and it shapes a personal way of experiencing the challenges that one encounters and of responding to them. The four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, courage and temperance make up a cohesive quartet of attitudes that determine one’s ability to control himself and the possibility to help others in a responsible way. The supreme manifestation of the social capital is love, owing to which a man is prepared to give his life in the service of his neighbor.