Book3 Chapter 2 The ‘Cardinal Vi

In this chapter, C.S. Lewis begins by stating that there are seven virtues, four of which are “cardinal” or “pivotal” virtues, recognized by all civilized people; the other three are called “theological” virtues, known only to Christians. This chapter focuses on the four cardinal virtues: Prudence, Temperance, Justice, and Fortitude. C.S. Lewis在本章首先指出: 一共有七种美德，其中四种是被所有文明人认可的“主要”或“枢纽”美德；另外三种被称为“神学”美德，只有基督徒认可。本章重点讨论前四种主要美德：智慧、节制、公正和勇气。

“Prudence means practical common sense,” Lewis clarifies.When Jesus said we would only get into His world by being like children, He never meant that we were to remain children in intelligence. He wants us not only with our hearts but with our brains. This virtue of prudence sounds novel to me; first, I have never connected it with any sort of moral virtue before,not to mention putting it first among the four cardinal virtues. I’ve learned that God wants us to use the intelligence He has given us to make sound judgments; it is His gift as well as a requirement to us. “智慧意味着实用的常识，”Lewis解释道，耶稣说我们只有像孩子一样才能进入他的世界时，他从未意味我们要在智识上保持幼稚。他希望我们不仅用心灵，还要用头脑来追随他。智慧这一美德对我来说显得新颖；首先，我以前从未将其与任何形式的道德美德联系起来，更不用说将其列为四大主要美德之首。我从中学到的是，上帝希望我们运用他赋予我们的智慧来做出明智的判断；这是他赐给我们的礼物，也是对我们的要求。

When talking about Temperance, Lewis points out one common mistake people make about temperance: “it meant not abstaining, but going the right length and no further.” i.e., the right amounts of, the right extent of,but not absolutely abstaining. It reminds me of one old Chinese idiom, “too much is as bad as too little.”谈到节制时，Lewis指出人们对节制的一个常见误解：“它的意思不是禁欲，而是适度而不过度。”即适量、适度，而不是绝对禁欲。这让我想起一句中国古老的成语，“过犹不及。”

In terms of Justice, Lewis clarifies that it means more than the justice carried out in courts; it includes honesty, fairness, trustfulness,and keeping promises. Meanwhile, Fortitude includes both kinds of courage – the kind that faces danger, as well as the kind that ‘sticks it’ under pain.关于公正，Lewis澄清说，它不仅仅指在法庭上执行的公正；它还包括诚实、公平、可信以及遵守诺言。同时，勇气包括两种类型的勇气——面对危险的勇气，以及在痛苦中坚持的勇气。

After exploring the above virtues, Lewis reminds us that it is not the particular actions but the sort of person we are that matters.Therefore, it is not good virtue to merely take the right action, but to do so with the right motivations. God doesn’t want us simply to obey a set of rules;He really wants people of a particular sort. Furthermore, Lewis addresses the topic of Heaven, which occurs in various places in his work, stating that Heaven is not a place that any external conditions can create for us; we have to become heavenly-like creatures (with help from God) so that we can reach the state of happiness (Heaven) God intends for us.在探讨了上述美德之后，Lewis提醒我们，重要的不是特定的行为(do)，而是我们是什么样的人(being)。因此，真正的美德不仅仅指采取正确的行动，还包括以正确的动机行事。上帝希望我们不只是遵守一套规则；他真正想要的是具有特定特质的人。此外，Lewis在他多部作品的不同地方谈到了天堂，指出天堂不是任何外部条件可以为我们创造的地方；我们必须成为天国般的生物（在上帝的帮助下），才能达到上帝为我们设定的幸福状态（天堂）。