Entropy

XII.

The classroom filled with low murmurs as students filtered in, some slouching into their seats, others chatting animatedly about plans for the weekend.

Sage, with her go-to venti iced matcha latte in hand, slid into her usual seat near the middle of the room, far enough from the front to avoid the professor's direct gaze, but close enough to be taken seriously.

Philosophy was one of the few classes she hadn't been skipping, and not because it was easy—quite the opposite.

The endless debates and moral quandaries often left her brain feeling like a pretzel.

But there was something about challenging her own thought processes that felt grounding.

Also, Professor Adesina's voice—smooth and accented with the Yoruba intonation of her Nigerian roots—always managed to hold her attention.

Sage glanced up as Professor Adesina strode into the room, her tailored black blazer swaying with each step. She placed a worn leather satchel on the desk and turned to face the class, her expression equal parts stern and inviting.

"Good afternoon, everyone," she began, her voice cutting through the chatter with ease. "Today, we'll be discussing a central challenge of Virtue Ethics: the conflict between virtues. Let me start with a scenario."

The room fell silent as Professor Adesina clicked a remote, and the projector hummed to life, emitting a bright image onto the screen at the front of the lecture hall.

A slide appeared, displaying text in bold letters:

Edie discovers that her friend's boyfriend, Mike, cheated on her at a party. Mike begs Edie not to tell her friend, promising that he will confess to his infidelity the next day. Edie now faces a dilemma: Should she honor the virtue of honesty by telling her friend, or the virtue of loyalty by keeping her promise to Mike?

Sage felt a shift in the room as students leaned forward, intrigued.

"Virtue Ethics," Professor Adesina continued, "emphasizes the importance of moral character and virtues such as honesty, loyalty, courage, and compassion. But what happens when these virtues conflict? Can a truly virtuous person reconcile such contradictions? That's the question I'd like us to debate."

Hands shot up around the room.

Predictably, Joie was one of the first to be called on.

Joie Welfard, with her perfectly coiled hair and a penchant for disagreeing with everything Sage said, sat across the room, her presence impossible to ignore.

"Well," Joie began, her tone confident, "Virtue Ethics isn't about set rules. It's about applying sound judgment to specific situations. In this case, Edie has to weigh the context. Mike's promise to confess tomorrow doesn't absolve him, but it allows Edie to remain loyal without sacrificing her honesty. It's a balancing act."

Sage rolled her eyes internally.

She sat back in her chair, stirring her matcha as Joie launched into her argument. The class was silent, hanging on Joie's every word.

Sage raised the cup to her lips, taking a slow sip, but her face always betrayed her skepticism—a slight furrow of her brow, a tightening of her jaw.

Professor Adesina caught it immediately. She tilted her head, a knowing smile tugging at her lips.

"Sage," she said, her voice smooth but pointed, "I see you disagree. Care to elaborate?"

Sage froze mid-sip, lowering her cup slowly.