June 5, 2020

The 4 Tactical Virtues of Masculinity | The Art of Health with Alexander Cortes

Key Takeaways

• Fathers should teach their sons the 4 tactical virtues mentioned in the book The Way of Men by Jack Donovan:
  • 1) Strength
  • 2) Courage
  • 3) Skill
  • 4) Honor
• If you raise your son according to these 4 virtues, he’ll do well in life
  • “He’s going to have some level of success in life or at least he’ll be able to support himself and be self-sustaining and be independent” – Alexander Cortes
• 50% of self-improvement for men comes from lifting weights
  • Lifting weights makes you stronger and teaches you that your body can adapt and improve
  • “Go lift something, go challenge yourself…once you start inserting challenges in your life you’ll probably look for them in other areas” – Alexander Cortes

Intro

• Alexander Juan Antonio Cortes (@AJA_Cortes) is a fitness and health blogger
  • Check out his website and sign up for his daily newsletter
  • Also, check out the Podcast Notes from Alex’s appearance on Modern Wisdom

Books Mentioned

• The Way of Men by Jack Donovan

What Should Fathers Teach Their Sons?

• Fathers should teach their sons the 4 tactical virtues mentioned in the book The Way of Men by Jack Donovan:
  • 1) Strength
    • Being a coward or a weak man increases the chances of you getting killed or outcasted by society
  • 2) Courage
    • We have a tendency to valorize acts of bravery
  • 3) Skill
    • To be skillful is to be intelligent and a man who is constantly trying to get better
  • 4) Honor
    • Honor is respecting oneself and others
• These tactical virtues have emerged from our primal environment
  • If you raise your son according to these 4 virtues, he’ll do well in life
    • “He’s going to have some level of success in life or at least he’ll be able to support himself and be self-sustaining and be independent” – Alexander Cortes

Additional Notes

• “Competence is confidence” – Alexander Cortes
  • “If you want to build confidence in a man, give him a skill. Make him skillful. Allow him to learn something and become masterful at it” 
• “We live in a world in which most men are weak. They’re mentally weak and they’re physically weak.” – Alexander Cortes
  • Additionally, many males don’t have good male friends that they can look up to
• 50% of self-improvement for men comes from lifting weights
  • Lifting weights makes you stronger and teaches you that your body can adapt and improve
    • “Go lift something, go challenge yourself…once you start inserting challenges in your life you’ll probably look for them in other areas” – Alexander Cortes

The Art of Health : ajac, health, masculinity, way of men
Notes By Alex Wiec