• Introduces the virtues and their role in philosophical and religious thinking, from Aristotle and Confucius to today
• Considers the virtues in a variety of cultural contexts
• Explores the variety of virtues: moral, intellectual, theological, and corrective
• Examines what have come to be known as the key virtues (and some of the vices)

  
From the philosophy of Aristotle and Confucius, to Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae, to the paintings of Raphael, Botticelli and many more, fascination with the virtues has endured and evolved to fit a wide range of cultural, religious, and philosophical contexts through the centuries.
   
This Very Short Introduction introduces readers to the various virtues: the moral virtues, the intellectual virtues, and the theological virtues, as well as the capital vices. It explores the role of the virtues in moral life, their cultivation, and how they offer ways of thinking and acting that are alternatives to mere rule-following. It also considers the relationship of the virtues to our own emotions, desires, and rational capacities.