The Lost Virtue

Ask people, “Who or what comes to mind when you hear the phrase ‘greatness of soul’?” and you will encounter blank looks and a confusing ragbag of replies. I know. I’ve tried it.

I’ve posed this question to friends and family, to colleagues and classrooms full of students. I even started asking strangers through online surveys. Some guess that greatness of soul is a mythical quality, like clairvoyance or animal magnetism. Some mention a saint or an esoteric religious teaching. Others with a different definition of “soul” in mind answer “Aretha Franklin” or “James Brown.” Many people suspect the question is a trick. “Is that even a thing?” they ask.

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