Talk:Temperance (virtue)

Adjective, a Question:
How do you call the persons that practice this virtue?, it is so important for good leaders, altough TRUTHFULLNESS is the Basic Virtue for them.... --Dagofloreswi (talk) 08:10, 10 December 2008 (UTC)
 * You could call people who practice this virtue Self-disciplined.Zazazen (talk) 12:29, 6 August 2011 (UTC)
 * I realize I am replying to something which is over a decade old, but I believe it is important for future readers to correct the record. The proper adjective is temperate. SpiralSource (talk) 16:38, 31 December 2021 (UTC)

Headline tex  Temperance (Sophrosyne in Greek)
It is the practice of moderation. It was one of the five "cardinal" virtues held to be vital to society in Hellenic culture. It is one of the Four Cardinal Virtues considered central to Christian behaviour by the Catholic Church and is an important tenet of the moral codes of other world religions—for example, it is one of the Five Precepts of Buddhism.

i want you to add more about this...

thank you so much

leonard_mysterious@yahoo.com

Not quite right
Temperance should not be equivocated with moderation. Both temperance and moderation involve, well, moderation, but where someone practicing moderation is fighting the urge to indulge, the temperate person is unbothered and at peace with the moderation.

Also, saying that Christianity requires temperance is controversial at best; abstinence especially. The so-called temperance that Christianity offers seems more like self-degradation bordering on self-loathing ("Not being worthy", "constant need of God's forgiveness", etc.)Though I'm sure I can find some more sources to post --I'm short on time-- Richard White's 'Radical Virtues' comes to mind. He discusses both claims I'm making.

I'll be back to actually improve the entry; I promise!

-Rachel M. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.36.34.84 (talk) 04:01, 18 December 2009 (UTC)


 * I agree it's not quite right but I have a slightly different definition. This regards the introduction of the article. It seems to be confusing Temperance (also called Moderation) with Asceticism (also called Abstinence). Temperance does not simply refer to refraining from indulgence, it also refers to having a healthy amount of everything. So temperance refers to fulfilling your needs, but not to the point of excess where you seek a thing desperately simply for the sake of boredom or pleasure, nor where you deny yourself so much that you become ill or unable to function in daily life. It is the same as the Middle Way from Buddhism. Not too much, nor too little.Zazazen (talk) 10:55, 6 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Rachel, you said "the temperate person is unbothered and at peace with the moderation". I know what you mean but that is actually not temperance. The word to describe what you mean is Equanimity. Temperance (or moderation) is the method by which you can balance yourself, but equanimity is the state of mind you have when you have mastered that process, so that you do it by second nature every moment.Zazazen (talk) 05:39, 28 August 2011 (UTC)

This article defines temperance far too broadly and hence is more likely to confuse than inform
I think this article defines temperance way too broadly, confusing it with clearly distinct virtues. The fact that all virtue arguably partakes of a general "goodness" does not mean that distinctions among specific virtues are arbitrary, but this article implies the opposite

If you look up temperance in the dictionary, you get: (1) self-restraint; (2) moderation; and (3) total absence from liquor.

Self-restraint and moderation are also the classical definitions of Temperance, and certainly what classical writers had in mind when they defined Temperance as one of the four essential virtues.

Prudence is not the same thing as Temperance, and indeed it is listed as a separate essential virtue by Classical writers. Including it here under Temperance tends to confuse the topic rather than clarify it.

Humility and Forgiveness are also separate virtues. In the classical schema, they are much better defined as aspects of Justice. In the Christian taxonomy, they are aspects of Love and Faith.

I propose that the language on these other virtues be moved to their own articles. Yes, again, there are connections among these virtues, but we do no favor to readers by muddying the waters rather than providing clear distinctions.

A reader should come away from an article like this with an accurate sense of what people generally mean when they speak of "temperance." By confusing temperance with a bunch of other virtues, this article does not accomplish that result, and hence does a disservice to the uninformed reader. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Rsquire3 (talk • contribs) 15:21, 15 November 2012 (UTC)