C.S. Lewis on the cardinal virtues
Religion & Liberty Online

C.S. Lewis on the cardinal virtues

Christian thinkers have divided virtue into seven categories: four Cardinal virtues—which all civilized people recognize—and three Theological virtues—which, as a rule, only Christians know about.

In this video, which illustrates a section of Mere Christianity, Lewis looks at the four Cardinal virtues: prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude. The word ‘cardinal’ has nothing to do with ‘Cardinals’ in the Roman Church, Lewis notes. Rather, it comes from a Latin word meaning ‘the hinge of a door’. These were called “cardinal” virtues because they are “pivotal.”

Joe Carter

Joe Carter is a senior writer for The Gospel Coalition, author of The Life and Faith Field Guide for Parents, the editor of the NIV Lifehacks Bible, and coauthor of How to Argue Like Jesus: Learning Persuasion from History’s Greatest Communicator. He also serves as an associate pastor at McLean Bible Church in Arlington, Va.