A Thought from the Monster to Ponder

It is amazing how often I think thoughts similar to those of the monster in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein:
"Was man, indeed, at once so powerful, so virtuous, and magnificent, yet so vicious and base? He appeared at one time a mere scion of the evil principle, and at another as all that can be conceived as noble and godlike. To be a great and virtuous man appeared the highest honour that can befall a sensitive being; to be base and vicious, as many on record have been, appeared the lowest degradation, a condition more abject than that of the blind mole or harmless worm."

How do we get from vices (bad habits) to virtues (good habits), from vicious to virtuous?



Three housekeeping notes:

1) A while ago I wrote about a debate on Honduras that was aired on democracynow.org. I had not listened to the debate at that time. I listened to the debate a week or so later and am just now commenting on the debate ever so briefly. Not only was the debate interesting to listen to due to my interest in Honduras, but it was fun to listen to the debate by way of rhetorical skill, like watching two boxers fighting for the title. Either way, I suggest that you give the debate a listen. Find the debate here.

2) Recently, I have been reading A Secular Age by Charles Taylor. A former professor mentioned the book when I was preparing to interview Bart Ehrman. Here is the premise of the book: "The change I want to define and trace is one which takes us from a society in which it was virtually impossible not to believe in God, to one in which faith, even for the staunchest believer, is one human possibility among others." Very interesting, and something that I find very fun and influential to ponder. I am currently 120 pages into the book and I am finding it to be a treat. Despite the continual repetitions (which are necessary, due to the complex history of the subject) and the 850+ pages, people should not be deterred from reading this book.

3) Go to democracynow.org (September 24th, 2009) to find an interview of Michael Moore centering on his new documentary: Capitalism: A Love Story.