Final answer:
Fortitude, as a virtue, embodies the strength and courage to pursue moral actions, prioritizing them above personal gain, popularity, wealth, or external factors. It emphasizes the inherent goodwill in actions, valuing moral character over self-interest. Fortitude also encourages placing communal interests above personal gain in communal activities.
Step-by-step explanation:
Fortitude, as a virtue, is fundamentally concerned with promoting good above personal gain, popularity, wealth, or external factors. It represents the strength and courage to persist in moral actions and decisions, even in the face of difficulties or adversity. It is more about the inherent goodwill in the actions one takes, emphasized by Kant as being esteemed much higher than any desired end or achievement.
Political philosophers often discuss the importance of virtues like fortitude in promoting a good moral character, where personal bravery and integrity are valued over selfish pursuits. Standing up for what is right, even when it conflicts with self-interest, is a key attribute of fortitude.
It is about prioritizing the common good over personal desires, an ethos that contrasts with self-centered activities where a person's interests dominate their actions. In communal activities, for example, the virtues of fortitude would lead one to place communal interests above personal gain.
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