Philosophy of Blue Collar Investment

At Blue Collar Investment, we apply the Cardinal Virtues to all aspects of life. More importantly, we apply these to each and every endeavor. These virtues weigh heavy upon us, thus, it is important that Blue Collar Investment represents strength and honor not only in the realms of business or personal success but within the community as well.

Cardinal Virtues

Sapientia (Prudence):

"Classically, prudence is considered to be a virtue, and indeed, one of the Cardinal Virtues. The word comes from Old French prudence (13th century), from Latin prudentia "foresight, sagacity," contraction of providentia "foresight". It is often associated with Wisdom, Insight, and Knowledge. In this case, the virtue is the ability to judge between virtuous and vicious actions, not only in a general sense, but with regard to appropriate actions at a given time and place. Although prudence itself does not perform any actions, and is concerned solely with knowledge, all virtues had to be regulated by it. Distinguishing when acts are courageous, as opposed to reckless or cowardly, for instance, was an act of prudence. This is why it is classified as a "cardinal" which is to say "pivotal" virtue.

Although prudence would be applied to any such judgment, the more difficult tasks, which distinguish a person as prudent, arethose in which various goods have to be weighed against each other, as when a person is determining what would be best to give charitable donations, or how to punish a child so as to prevent repeating an offense.

Conventionally, prudence is the exercise of sound judgment in practical affairs.

In modern English, however, the word has become increasingly synonymous with cautiousness. In this sense, prudence names a reluctance to take risks, which remains a virtue with respect to unnecessary risks, but when unreasonably extended (i.e. over-cautiousness), can become the vice of cowardice."

Temperantia (Temperance):

Temperance (Sophrosyne in Greek) is the practice of moderation. It was one of the four "cardinal" virtues held to be vital to society in Hellenic culture. It is one of the Four Cardinal Virtues considered central to Christian behavior by the Catholic Church and is an important tenet of the moral codes of other world religions—for example, it is one of the Five Precepts of Buddhism.

Classically, temperance was defined as governing natural appetites for the pleasure of senses according to the bounds of reason. No virtue could be sustained in the face of inability to control oneself, if the virtue was opposed to some desire; this is why it is classified as a cardinal virtue, where "cardinal" signifies "pivotal."

Fortitudo (Fortitude):

Fortitude is the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty or intimidation. It can be divided into "physical courage"; in face of physical pain, hardship, and threat of death and "moral courage"; in the face of shame, scandal, and discouragement.

The precise view of what constitutes courage not only varies among cultures, but among individuals. For instance, some define courage as lacking fear in a situation that would normally generate it. Others, in contrast, hold that courage requires one to have fear and then overcome it.

There are also more subtle distinctions in the definition of Fortitude. For example, some distinguish between courage and foolhardiness in that a courageous person overcomes a justifiable fear for an even more noble purpose. If the fear is not justifiable or if the purpose is not noble, then the courage is either false or foolhardy.

Iustitia (Justice):

Justice is the moderation between selfishness and selflessness; treating all people equally to oneself and to each other. The just man renders to each and all what is due to them, which are their moral and legal rights to do, possess, or exact something. This is equal insofar as each one receives what he is entitled to, but may be unequal insofar as different people may have different rights: two children have different rights from a certain adult if that adult is the parent of one of them and not of the other.

It is closely related to the practice of charity because it regulates the relationships with others. It is a cardinal virtue, which is to say "pivotal" because it regulates all such relationships, and is sometimes deemed the most important of the cardinal virtues.

Blue Collar investment finds a great deal of comfort within these virtues; we hope that our subscribers will find the same.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam