We explain what vanity is according to philosophy, religion and why it is a sin. Also, its relationship with pride and arrogance.
What is vanity?
When we speak of vanity, we refer to one of the forms of pride or arrogance, that is, to the excessive belief that an individual has in himself, his own abilities or, especially, his physical appearance or the attraction he exerts on others.
According to the Royal Spanish Academy, it is a synonymous from arrogance, presumption (to be conceited) and conceit (to be conceited), at the same time as a “quality of vain” or “vain representation, illusion or fiction of fantasy”. These last two senses are more closely related to the origin of the word vanity, which goes back to the Latin voice vanitas ("Fraud", "deceptive appearance") derived from vanus ("Hollow", "empty" or "vain").
So, in principle, vanity has to do with the valuation of the appearance, the superficial and the ephemeral, that is, of the things that, according to the Western philosophical tradition, are the least important.
Already in the antiquity was warned of the dangers of this tendency: the young Narcissus, in the Greek mythologyHe was incapable of loving anyone because he was obsessed with his own image. After gazing in wonder at the reflection of the water, he leaned so far toward himself that he lost his balance and died of drowning.
Likewise, the Greek philosopher Aristotle (385 - 323 BC) described the vain as fools and ignorant, who "adorn themselves with clothes, dressings and the like, and wish that their good fortune be known to all, and speak of she believing that they will be honored ”in her Nicomachean ethics.
For its part, the Christian religion considers it a sin, derived from pride (the latter a cardinal sin or capital sin), similar to arrogance. In fact, in many biblical and theological translations vanity is used instead of arrogance, although in that sense they are practically the same.
For Christians this was one of the worst possible sins. The Christian ascetic and thinker Evagrio Ponticus (345-399 AD) included it in his list of the "eight temptations" that led to human being to hell, stating that "vanity corrupted everything it touched."
From this list it was later reduced to seven and renamed "capital sins" or "mortal sins" by Pope Gregory the Great (c. 540-604). According to the latter, "vanity is the beginning of all sins."
Vanity, pride and arrogance
These three terms, in a general sense, can be used synonymously: they all have to do with an excessive appreciation of one's own person, with the idea that one is above others or that one is worth more than others. This idea is contrary to almost all the philosophical and religious traditions of the humanity, so that it is frowned upon in practically all cultures.
But there are nuances between them that need to be clarified. In general, when one speaks of vanity, it is related to a defect of the personality and with a clearly negative trait, but at the same time it is mainly related to physical appearance, attractiveness to others, or narcissism. The vain person is usually represented in front of the mirror, in love with himself.
On the other hand, pride and arrogance are more difficult to differentiate. Always with negative connotations, pride refers to people who believe they are superior to others and hoping that others are the ones who give in and compromise. Another trait, also often attributed to the proud, is that they do not apologize, do not "lower themselves" to the level of others and prefer to persevere in error than admit that they are capable of being wrong.
However, pride also has a positive meaning: that feeling of satisfaction provided by a job well done, or the family member who succeeds and whose joy we share. Seen this way, pride distances itself from arrogance and becomes an almost opposite, almost humble feeling: joy because things turned out well in the end, because they could have gone wrong for us, like anyone else.