Essays on Self-Restraint

The civic virtues that are being discussed in the provided excerpts can be divided into three broad categories, namely, obtaining and maintenance of civic knowledge and putting one’s civic knowledge to use through public participation; being self-assertive when necessary, and self-restraint. Taken together, the passages suggest that to the Framers, the model citizen would be one that understands the issues of importance in the community and nation, is actively engaged in public life, and who know when to zealously advocate his point of view or concede depending upon the specific circumstances. Three examples are illustrative of this point. ...

Aristotle considers ethical theory as a field different from the theoretical sciences. Friendship is of profound importance for human life as well as of pronounced significance for the moral life. The reason behind why we study ethics is to improve our lives and the principal concern the kind of human well-being. Aristotle follows Plato and Socrates in taking the qualities to be a central of a well-lived life. Aristotle began by introducing the notion that helps to understand the phenomenon of friendship. He begins by defining a friend as a person who likes or loves another individual for the sake of that other person’ ...

Umcwasho was a traditional custom of chastity and sexual restraint applied to young unmarried Swazi girls (Rooyen & Hartell 321). The custom prohibited young maidens who had reached puberty from having sex within a stipulated time set by the king. The purpose of this custom was to ensure that youths maintained their virginity that marked their sexual morality. In addition, it was aimed at teaching young adults the quality of self-restraint. Those who adhered to the ritual earned respect from both their peers and elders. When the time of the ceremony came, the king personally announced the ritual, the age of ...