Greed is an intense and selfish desire for something. For example, in Protestasnt Christianity, desire for personal wealth is seen as a virtue, whereas medieval Catholocism saw it as a vice. Different cultures and societies have different ideas of what a vice is, at different times. Importantly, vices are culturally-constructed. Pride – Self-adulation and over-inflation of ego.Envy – Resentfulness of others for their lot in life.Wrath – Uncontrolled feelings of rage, anger, and hatred.Sloth – Desire to do what’s easy instead of what’s good.
In Christian theology, vices are often seen as sins or behaviors that separate individuals from God.Ĭhristian vices are associated with the “Seven Deadly Sins”: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle all explored concepts of vice and virtue in their writings on morality and moral philosophy.įor instance, Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics presents a view of moral virtue as a mean between extremes, with vices representing the excess or deficiency. The concept of vice is as old as, at least, the Ancient Greek philosophers.
