What do you gain from knowing whether empiricism is the second or the seventh in the list,

Take a look at the list. Look at the last sentence of each item, and the first sentence of the next. Do you see how they flow into each other? Learning the order of the items helps me remember which virtues are connected to other ones, and how.

or from memorizing pithy quotes word for word, without context?

There is context, just not in the Anki card. It's in the article (which you would need to read before using the deck), and it's in your brain (the memories of the last time you read it.)

The important thing is to learn how to practice and apply the concepts, not to memorize them by rote.

When I'm in situations where I might want to apply these virtues (e.g. when having an argument), I often don't have time to deduce them from first principles. If I've got them memorised, I can at least do a quick check of “is my current behaviour in opposition to any of the virtues?”. This helps me apply them to everyday life.

So how would you “learn how to practice and apply the concepts” from the article? What concrete steps would you take?

I'm sure my method has flaws; I want to know of a better way. Can you help me?