Virtues Part III: Justice And Temperance

“Est una res magni pretii — veritatem et iustitiam colere” = “There is but one thing of real value - to cultivate truth and justice” (Marcus Aurelius).

“Tu quoque desiderium omittas; Non concupisces multa, et habebis quod vis” = “You too should drop your desire; do not covet many things, and you will get what you want” (Epictetus).

Last week’s essay post featured two of the four Stoic philosophy’s Four Cardinal Virtues: Wisdom & Courage.  This week, we’ll explore the last two: Justice & Temperance. Everything else in the Stoic principles tends to split off from these four virtues: patience, honesty / integrity, and diligence.  These are seen as indications of one of the cardinal four virtues rather than as separate virtues.  Most people know what ‘justice’ is, but, I wonder if most people know what ‘temperance’ is.

Simply, ‘temperance’ is, “…self-discipline, self-control, and moderation” (https://orionphilosophy.com/the-stoic-virtue-of-temperance/ ). If you pull the ‘Temperance’ card in Tarot, it’s showing you that you are encouraged to take the “…middle path and avoid extremes…it’s about balance, moderation, patience, and inner calm” (https://biddytarot.com/tarot-card-meanings/major-arcana/temperance/ ). In the Stoic framework, ‘temperance’ is not just about our ability to show self-restraint in our approach to pleasure or the avoidance of pain; it also includes a broader spectrum of self-regulation in thoughts, actions, and desires. It’s about achieving a balanced state of mind, displaying moral virtue, and exercising our freedom of choice in such a way as to choose the right path, not just the easiest or more pleasurable one” (https://orionphilosophy.com/the-stoic-virtue-of-temperance/ ).  In a time when showing self-restraint and living in moderation seem like alien ideas, it’s obvious we all could use a dose of temperance. It’s a sign of maturity and intelligence not to allow our desires and impulses take us over.

According to Tobias Weaver of the Orion Academy, “When we develop temperance, we also develop the power to reject our impulses, choose long-term good over short-term pleasure, reject paths that could lead to addiction, and generally do what we know we should do rather than letting our desires take control over our decision-making. The person who can act with reason and wisdom will be far more likely to avoid suffering than the person who is under the control of their passions and inordinate desire. We all probably know when we’ve had too much of something. The feeling is built into the human species.

This can be anything from bodily pleasures, sexual pleasure, food, video games, drink, or too much time on our phones.

We know what pulls at our desire, we know what we have a weakness for, and we know how we feel when we give into those passions and desires. We also know how it feels to practice self-control” (https://orionphilosophy.com/the-stoic-virtue-of-temperance/ ).

How do we cultivate ‘temperance’? While it seems simple to comprehend, it’s not always easy to do.  Embracing and being self-aware, being consistent, and being mindful are the paths to ‘temperance.’   In her article in Forbes, Mary Crossan, an expert on global strategic leadership, shares wisdom in her article “Temperance: How To Cultivate The Quiet Strength That Shapes Character.”   She explores 11 character dimensions in her article. “I am starting with temperance because research at the Ivey Business School and Virtuosity Character consistently reveals it as the weakest dimension. It may be that temperance is neglected because people often view it as a weakness rather than the quiet strength that shapes character. They fail to see the cost of its absence, such as the erosion of trust when someone loses their temper. Although we often underestimate its impact, we are more likely to notice and feel the effects when it is missing. It also plays a crucial role in tapping into all dimensions of character, and most critically in shaping our judgment. Explaining what temperance is, why it matters, and how to develop it is essential for sustained excellence and well-being.  The virtue of temperance has a long history in moral philosophy. Although the temperance movement of the 19th and 20th centuries often distorted its meaning by associating it with alcohol abstinence, its component behaviors have stood the test of time. Benjamin Franklin ranked temperance at the top of his list of virtues that he checked daily. Although the highly respected philanthropist and investor, Warren Buffett, hasn’t used the term temperance, his philosophy and approach to investing reveal the five virtuous behaviors—being calm, composed, patient, prudent, and self-controlled—that can manifest as both deficiency and excess vices” (https://www.forbes.com/sites/marycrossan/2025/08/16/temperance-how-to-cultivate-the-quiet-strength-that-shapes-character/ ). The rest of her article is excellent, so I recommend it highly.

How is ‘justice’ a virtue? Interestingly and unfortunately, this word has taken on the scent of revenge, vengeance, retaliation.  That description belies the true and meaning of the word. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, ‘justice’ is, “…fairness in the way people are dealt with; equity, impartiality, fair treatment” (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/justice ).  In the Tarot deck, the Justice card “…symbolizes fairness, truth, and accountability, often indicating the need for balanced decisions and the consequences of one’s actions” (https://www.yourtango.com/self/justice-tarot-card-meaning-upright-reversed-love ).

Why, then has the culture twisted this virtue into revenge?   In his book, The Culture of Vengeance and the Fate of American Justice,  Terry K. Aladjem, advances the idea that, “America is driven by vengeance … a reactive, public anger that is a threat to democratic justice itself. From the return of the death penalty to the wars on terror and in Iraq, Americans demand retribution and moral certainty; they assert the ‘rights of victims’ and make pronouncements against ‘evil.’ Yet for Aladjem this dangerously authoritarian turn has its origins in the tradition of liberal justice itself - in theories of punishment that justify inflicting pain and in the punitive practices that result. Exploring vengeance as the defining problem of our time, Aladjem returns to the theories of Locke, Hegel and Mill. He engages the ancient Greeks, Nietzsche, Paine and Foucault to challenge liberal assumptions about punishment. He interrogates American law, capital punishment and images of justice in the media. He envisions a democratic justice that is better able to contain its vengeance” (qtd. in https://terryaladjem.scholars.harvard.edu/publications/culture-vengeance-and-fate-american-democracy ).

Is it ‘justice’ when a sovereign country who has been the most steady ally to the USA is demeaned by being called “the 51st state”, when they are threatened with economic sanctions because they stand up to being bullied for not bowing down to the whims of an authoritarian tyrant, and when their dual language culture is scorned?  No, that’s vengeance, not justice.  That’s a very clear example of how the meaning of the word, ’justice,’ was hijacked.

When there is injustice, violence is often the outcome.  For example, “…research has found a correlation between injustice and aggression, although studies tend to focus solely on this link and fail to explain how violent behavior is developed in adolescents. To explore this relationship further, we conducted a study testing two hypotheses: firstly, that injustice leads to revengeful behavior, and secondly, that frustration and aggression mediate between injustice and revenge. We gathered data from 444 participants in study 1 to validate scales and used convenient sampling to select 427 university undergraduates for study 2 to test the revenge model. Our findings suggest that injustice fuels frustration and aggression, increasing the tendency towards revengeful behavior. Consequently, communities with a prevalence of injustice may foster aggression and violent tendencies in adolescents. This research has practical implications for organizations and institutions, providing insights to help develop interventions that steer young people toward positive pursuits” (qtd. in https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-023-04852-2 )

What happens when injustice is rampant?  When injustice is more common than justice (the virtue), it often leads to greater inequality, to social / civil unrest, and a breakdown of trust within communities.  This environment encourages violence and hampers attempts to accomplish peace and justice because marginalized groups of people may feel they have no other choice but to violently object to the status quo.  “Ignoring justice erodes trust in society, leading to instability and conflict. It harms individuals and communities, creating inequality and hindering progress towards a sustainable future where everyone can thrive. When fairness is absent, systems break down” (qtd. in https://sustainability-directory.com/question/what-might-be-the-effects-of-ignoring-justice/ ).  The consequences are enormous:

• When there is too much wealth imbalance, there is increased injustice / unfairness.  In a January 2026 article, Mary Cunningham, who researches and writes about our money, states in her article, “Wealth Inequality in America Just Hit Its Widest Gap in More Than 3 Decades”, “Data from the Federal Reserve shows that the so-called K-shaped economy in America is alive and well, with low- and middle-income households falling further behind as the richest Americans pull away. The top 1% of households owned 31.7% of all U.S. wealth in the third quarter of 2025, the highest share on record since the Federal Reserve began tracking household wealth in 1989. That share has increased even as wealth growth for the rest of the population has stalled or slowed, the data shows. Collectively, the wealthiest 1% held about $55 trillion in assets in the third quarter of 2025 — roughly equal to the wealth held by the bottom 90% of Americans combined. ‘Household wealth is highly concentrated and becoming steadily more concentrated,’ Mark Zandi, chief economist at financial research firm Moody's Analytics, told CBS News. The latest snapshot of wealth inequality comes as billionaire fortunes continue to grow rapidly, both in the U.S. and abroad. An Oxfam International report released this week found that billionaire wealth in 2025 increased three times faster than the average annual rate over the previous five years. The world's richest person is Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whose net worth stands at $668 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index “ (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-wealth-gap-widest-in-three-decades-federal-reserve/ ) .  This imbalance also sets up social barriers and divides genders, ethnicity, and cultural / community’s differences that limit opportunities, especially for groups who experience marginalization.

• When there is increased injustice / unfairness, there is a tendency for social / civic unrest.  Because individuals and communities experience a collapse of trust, it leads to heightened anxiety and splits society.  We’ve seen this.  Peaceful protesters are violently treated by ICE, unchecked law enforcement.

• When there is increased injustice / unfairness, there is a failure for peace and justice to maintain a stronghold. This threatens and undermines democracy.

The virtues of ‘temperance’ and ‘justice’ may appear to be rare in 2026; still, there are many of us who value supporting and living virtuous lives. And, this isn’t a “left  or right” political thing; it’s about being a decent human being. This week, I dare you to demonstrate the virtues of temperance and justice.  Will you take the dare? In next week’s blog post, I’ll continue the series on ‘virtues’ by exploring modern secular virtues that derive from Stoicism, humanism, ethics, and psychology.  And, I’ll discuss aspects that are not virtues. Are you interested in learning more about virtues? Do you want to be one of the rare individuals in 2026 who is seen as a ‘virtuous person’? Please share your thoughts, insights, and suggestions by either commenting below this post if you are reading this on social media, or, if you are reading this through your email subscription, please share, by emailing me, at MissyDuncanPhdofficial@gmail.com . I invite you to subscribe to my blog at www.missyduncanphdofficial.com. My YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvddqOlfJbS0ypODwbmQ_JA .  Although my channel is just hatched and is not quite a fledgling, I will keep feeding it and encourage it to take flight.