Temperance (virtue) facts for kids
Temperance means having control over yourself. It's about choosing to hold back from doing things, even if you want to do them. This could be stopping yourself from getting angry, being too proud, or spending too much money. It's also about being calm and forgiving instead of seeking revenge.
Many wise people, like religious leaders, thinkers, and even modern psychologists, see temperance as a good quality or virtue. It has been important in many cultures for a long time.
In old pictures, temperance is often shown as a woman pouring water from one pot into another. This shows balance. It's one of the main good qualities in Western thought, found in Greek philosophy and Christianity. You can also find similar ideas in Eastern traditions like Buddhism and Hinduism.
In a modern study called positive psychology, temperance is one of six main virtues. The others are wisdom, courage, kindness, justice, and transcendence (connecting to something bigger than yourself). Temperance is about controlling too much of anything. It includes being pure, modest, humble, and having self-control. It also means being welcoming to others and forgiving. Each of these helps control strong feelings like being too proud or angry.
Sometimes, "temperance" also means choosing not to drink alcohol, which is called teetotalism. This idea was part of the temperance movement in the past. It can also mean drinking alcohol in a very careful and controlled way.
Philosophical Ideas
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greeks had two words that mean "temperance." One word, sôphrosune, meant mostly self-control. The other word, enkrateia, meant control over oneself or self-discipline. This second word was used in the Bible to mean temperance.
The idea of temperance has changed over time. In Latin, tempero means to hold back from force or anger. It also means to balance or mix things properly, like when you "temper a sword" by heating and cooling it.
Temperance was a very important good quality in ancient Athens, as taught by Plato. He said self-control (sôphrosune) was one of the four main virtues for a perfect city. Aristotle also agreed with this idea.
Aristotle's View
Aristotle thought temperance was mainly about controlling physical pleasures. He called it a "mean" or middle ground between too much pleasure and not enough. He wrote that a temperate person wants the right things, in the right way, and at the right time.
He believed you learn temperance by practicing it, just like you learn an art. It's about choosing a balanced path. Doing good acts with pleasure shows you have learned this virtue.
Marcus Aurelius's View
Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor and philosopher, said temperance is the opposite of loving pleasure too much. He believed temperance makes humans different from animals. He wrote that our thinking mind should control our feelings and desires.
Marcus learned from his father, who was always content and modest. His father wasn't interested in fancy houses, food, or clothes. Marcus thought temperance was hard but very important. He compared his father to Socrates, saying both could enjoy things without going overboard and could also do without things if needed. This showed they had strong and unbeatable souls.
Thomas Aquinas's View
Thomas Aquinas, a Christian thinker, said temperance deals with desires for physical pleasures. He explained that temperance is about controlling these desires, especially those related to touch.
Aquinas believed that temperance doesn't mean avoiding all pleasure. Instead, it means avoiding pleasures that are too much or against what is reasonable. A temperate person doesn't run away from all pleasures, just the ones that are out of balance.
Michel de Montaigne's View
The French philosopher Michel de Montaigne also wrote about temperance. He thought that true greatness comes from knowing how to control and limit oneself. He believed that temperance makes pleasure better, not worse. He said, "Too much is the enemy of pleasure; and temperance is not its punishment, but rather its seasoning."
Montaigne also wondered if temperance makes people unhappy because it limits their desires. But he concluded that it's enough to guide your desires, not completely get rid of them. He warned that wanting too much makes us more open to bad luck.
Francis Bacon's View
The English philosopher Francis Bacon also saw that it's hard to stay temperate when faced with strong feelings and desires. He wrote that our minds would be calm if our emotions didn't cause so much trouble.
He thought this was especially true for people who have a lot of money and comfort. He said that "great and sudden fortune often defeats people." He suggested that wealthy people should not get too attached to their riches.
John Milton's View
In his famous poem Paradise Lost, the English poet John Milton wrote about temperance. An angel explains that temperance, or "the rule of not too much," helps people live long lives. This means eating and drinking just enough for health, not for too much pleasure.
However, Milton also knew that temperance is hard to achieve. He wrote that being temperate means being wise enough to tell good desires from bad ones. This wisdom comes from understanding temptation, but that understanding can also lead a person to give in to bad desires.
Blaise Pascal's View
For the French philosopher Blaise Pascal, temperance is about finding a balance. It's between wanting everything and wanting nothing at all. Like Montaigne, Pascal thought it was impossible to completely stop all desires. But he still believed in controlling them.
He used examples like reading and drinking wine. He said, "When we read too fast or too slowly, we understand nothing." And about wine, "Too much and too little wine. Give him none, he cannot find truth; give him too much, the same." This shows the need for balance.
Immanuel Kant's View
The German philosopher Immanuel Kant saw temperance as "Moderation in feelings and passions, self-control, and calm thinking." He thought temperance was a very important and helpful part of every person.
However, Kant also warned that temperance could be used for bad things. He said that a calm villain is much more dangerous. So, for Kant, temperance is most important when it works with other good qualities. He also believed that art and science help us become more temperate by making us think more clearly.
John Stuart Mill's View
John Stuart Mill wrote about temperance in his book On Liberty. He supported laws against behavior that is not temperate. He asked why laws shouldn't try to stop things like gambling, drunkenness, or laziness if they cause harm.
Mill also thought that public opinion should be against intemperance. He believed that society should discourage bad behavior that affects everyone, not just a person's close friends or family.
Charles Darwin's View
In his book The Descent of Man, the naturalist Charles Darwin believed strongly that humans can learn temperance. He wrote that people, guided by their conscience, can learn to control themselves perfectly over time. Their desires will eventually give in to their social feelings and instincts.
Darwin thought that being social makes humans control themselves. He also believed it's possible that the habit of self-control can be passed down from one generation to the next.
Religions
Ideas about temperance appear in many cultures and times.
Buddhism
Temperance is a key part of the Eightfold Path in Buddhism. The Buddha taught the Noble Eightfold Path as a Middle Way. This path avoids the extremes of too much pleasure and hurting oneself. Two of the five precepts (main rules) in Buddhism are about temperance: avoiding "misconduct concerning sense pleasures" and avoiding drunkenness.
Christianity
In Christianity, temperance is a good quality that helps control the desire for pleasures. It brings balance to how we use things. The Old Testament and New Testament both talk about temperance as a main virtue. Forgiveness is central, and self-control is one of the Fruits of the Spirit.
The Bible uses the word "temperance" to mean self-control or discipline. Christian thinkers like Thomas Aquinas supported the ancient Greek virtues, including temperance. It is seen as a virtue that helps fight against the sin of gluttony (eating or drinking too much).
Hinduism
In Hinduism, the idea of dama (Sanskrit: दम) is like temperance. It means self-control and self-restraint. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says that three qualities of a good person are self-restraint (damah), kindness to all living things (daya), and giving to charity (daana). In Hindu yoga, self-restraint is part of the yamas (Sanskrit: यम).
Hindu texts list virtues needed for a moral life. Dama (temperance) is often on these lists. For example, the Manusamhita first listed ten virtues, including Dama. Later, this list was shortened to five, still including Dama.
Five types of self-restraint are important in Hindu thought:
- Don't use violence that harms others.
- Don't spread lies.
- Don't steal from others.
- Be loyal to your partner.
- Don't be greedy.
Self-restraint includes your actions, words, and thoughts. It's believed to prevent bad karma, which can come back to you later. It also helps prevent hurting others, because in Hinduism, hurting others is seen as hurting yourself.
Jainism
Temperance in Jainism is deeply connected to its five main vows:
- Ahimsa (nonviolence)
- Satya (truth)
- Brahmacharya (chastity or celibacy)
- Asteya (not stealing)
- Aparigraha (not being too possessive)
In Jainism, the vow of Ahimsa means not just avoiding physical violence. It also means avoiding violence in thoughts, speech, or actions.
On Samvatsari, the last day of the Paryushan festival, Jains say Micchāmi Dukkaḍaṃ to friends and family. This means "may all my faults be forgiven." Jains also use this phrase throughout the year to ask for forgiveness for mistakes.
Modern Groups
Values of temperance are still taught today by groups like the Boy Scouts. In positive psychology, temperance includes four main strengths: forgiveness, humility, carefulness, and self-control.
See also
In Spanish: Templanza para niños
- Asceticism
- Christian ethics
- Moral character
- Seven Deadly Sins
- Seven Heavenly Virtues
- Sophrosyne
- Temperance (Tarot card)
- Virtue ethics
