Virtues and values

Virtues can be placed into a broader context of values. Each individual has has a core of underlying values that contribute to our system of beliefs, ideas and/or opinions. Integrity in the application of a value ensures its continuity and this continuity separates a value from beliefs, opinion and ideas. In this context a value (e.g. Truth or Equality or Greed) is the core from which we operate or react. Societies have values that are shared among many of the participants in that culture. An individuals' values typically are largely but not entirely in agreement with their culture's values.

Individual virtues can be grouped into one of four categories of values:

• Ethics (virtue - vice, good - bad, moral - immoral - amoral, right - wrong, permissible - impermissible)
• Aesthetics (beautiful, ugly, unbalanced, pleasing)
• Doctrinal (political, ideological, religious or social beliefs and values)
• Innate/Inborn (inborn values such as reproduction and survival, a controversial category)

A value system is the ordered and prioritized set of values (usually of the ethical and doctrinal categories described above) that an individual or society holds.

Some virtues (a virtue is a character trait valued as being good) recognized in various Western cultures of the world include: 

acceptance, altruism, appreciation, assertiveness, autonomy, awareness, balance, being beautiful in spirit, charity, chastity, cleanliness, commitment, compassion, confidence, consciousness, continence, cooperativeness, courage, courteousness, creativity, critical thinking, curiosity, dependability, detachment, determination, diligence, discipline, empathy, endurance, enthusiasm, excellence, fairness, faith, fidelity, focus, foresight, forgiveness, fortitude, freedom, free will, friendliness, generosity, happiness, helpfulness, honesty, honour, hopefulness, hospitality, humility, humour, idealism, imagination, independence, innocence, integrity, intuition, inventiveness, kindness, lovingness, loyalty, mercy, moderation, manners, modesty, nonviolence, nurturing, obedience, openness, optimism, patience, peacefulness, perfection, perseverance, piety, potential, prudence, purposefulness, respectfulness, responsibility, restraint, self-awareness, self-discipline, self-esteem, self-reliance, self-respect, sensitivity, sharing, sincerity, spirituality, sympathy, tactfulness, temperence, tolerance, trustworthiness, truthfulness, understanding, unselfishness, wisdom and zealousness.