[Lecture One] Moral Virtue
by Dr. Leonard Peikoff
Total Time: 1 hour, 42 minutes
Course summary: This course features an extended discussion of three issues in moral virtue that Dr. Leonard Peikoff learned about in writing his treatise on Objectivism. He reviews the virtues of justice and independence as well as the chief vice, the initiation of force, and applies new insights about their derivation, validation, and application. Read more »
In this lecture: This lecture features a discussion of the virtue of justice and its comprehensive role in the life of a rational man. Dr. Peikoff illustrates the deepest roots of the concept with reference to an individual’s use of his volition and the nature of evaluation. He discusses the questions of psychologizing, context in judgment, and the role of causality in justice.
Study Guide
This material is designed to help you digest the lecture content. You can also download below a PDF study guide for the entire course.
| In what way is it artificial to separate out individual virtues for analysis? |
| Why is it nevertheless important to do so? |
| Are the core Objectivist virtues an exhaustive list? Explain. |
| What is the widest context of knowledge or frame of reference that gives rise to the human need for the virtue of justice? |
| What is the fundamental difference between judging choices and judging other men? |
| Why is intentional moral neutrality so dangerous? |
| In your own words, explain the connection between justice and human survival more broadly. |
| Explain how judging in ways other than morally still requires both objectivity and moral judgment. |
| Explain the existential and intellectual side to justice. |
| How does one differentiate between psychologizing and proper moral judgment when considering a man’s mental processes? |
| What does it mean to deserve something? How does this relate to earning? |
| What is the proper relationship between rewards and punishments in an objective morality of judging? |
Q&A Guide
Below is a list of questions from the audience taken from this lecture, along with (approximate) time stamps.
| 1:18:57 | What is your speculation on the psychology of a person who hates the good for being the good? |
| 1:20:01 | Given your analysis of justice, what is the proper role of charity? |
| 1:21:39 | Miss Rand wrote that she opposed capital punishment on the grounds that an innocent person might be accidentally killed, and you said that under certain circumstances… |
| 1:23:58 | Is there any difference between the principle of justice when applied to individuals vs. groups? |
| 1:25:45 | Why do so many Objectivists apply the principle “judge and prepare to be judged” improperly… either too harshly or too softly? |
| 1:32:04 | Do you know a book or part of a book that deals with how does one identify facts correctly in general? Are there specific tips you can provide? How do you know when a particular concept applies in a particular place? |
| 1:34:52 | Is there one virtue that is more important, on which all the others depends? |
| 1:36:54 | How would you answer the argument that certain socio-economic groups tend to produce more criminals than others, that man is, therefore, not really volitional, and that, therefore, justice does not apply? |
| 1:39:41 | You said to sanction only the virtuous element in a mixed case. How does this apply in elections? Do you vote Republican, Democrat, write-in, or not at all? |