Cultivating Character

Catalog description

This course explores the moral psychology of the virtues of character, that is, the character traits that constitute human ethical excellence. As most contemporary virtue theory is broadly Aristotelian, we will begin with selections from Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics before turning to the contemporary literature. Questions considered will include: What makes a character trait a virtue? How is virtue cultivated? What can we, as individuals, do to cultivate our own characters? We will also examine specific virtues, such as generosity, honesty, courage, and patience. Students will develop and implement their own individualized, theoretically informed plan for cultivating an aspect of their character.