Virtuous Communities

It is taken for granted that community's have a collective character--they often express traits unique to a people in place.

Conversations about character often turn evaluative: that is, we try to assess and classify community character against some evaluative measure.

Morality is one such measure. What is the moral character of a community? Is this or that community admirable or despicable? Are they worthy of emulation, or an example of what not to do? Is this or that community virtuous or vicious?

Of course, I hyperbolize somewhat. The questions aren't so pointed and the answers aren't so clear.

My point is that most cultures have some notion of the ideal community. Few community's ever come close to living out their ideals. And some are further away than others.

What does the virtuous community look like? This is a question that has resonated across cultures, through space, and time.