I. The Concept

As the antonym of virtue (Gk ἀρετή/aretḗ, Lat. virtus), vice (Gk κακία/kakía, Lat. nequitia, vitium) is a categorical concept for morally problematic or reprehensible behaviors (Habit), thus for negative aspects of individual capacity for action which Christian reli-¶ gious language characterizes as root or chief sins. The linguistic history of many cultures has yielded this concept, because a person’s self-awareness knows the difference between in…