Civic Virtues

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When they refer to civic virtues, many writers refer to attributes of individuals that make them virtuous and successful members of a society. The sense in which I use this phrase is to refer to the virtues that the society itself, or it's institutions and traditions, should hold dear. The civic virtues include:

  • Justice - the society should see itself as Just, and actively endeavour to involve the community in the justive process. This can range from mob lynchings to jury service.
  • Charity - the society should look after its weakest members, and
  • Morality - the society should have strong and united positions on moral issues. These may vary from the evils of walking barefoot, to the necessity of emancipation of slaves.
  • Respect for
    • Authority - the society should respect authorities, whether they be Guild heads, monarchs, or long-dead poets.
    • Tradition - the society should resist change and continue as it always has, unless the tradition is directly endangering the society's welfare.
    • Elders - the society should respect the wisdom and persons of the elders, who have higher moral development, and better understanding of authority and tradition.
  • Sewerage - the society should have a way of disposing of disease-bearing refuse into a local waterway through a series of interlinked channels or tunnels.

All rulers and town administrators can be partially judged on how well they have encouraged and embodied these virtues in their towns. It is rumoured that a secret Council of Civic Improvements is judging the activities of some town rulers and replacing those that are considered insufficiently virtuous. The Free Masons may or may not have funded the inclusion of the last virtue.