Description
This collection contains some of the best new work being done on the subject of character from the perspectives of philosophy, theology, and psychology. From creating a virtual reality simulation of the Milgram shock experiments to understanding the virtue of modesty in Muslim societies to defending soldiers' moral responsibility for committing war crimes, these 31 chapters break much new ground and significantly advance our understanding of character. The main topics covered fall under the heading of our beliefs about character, the existence and nature of character traits, character and ethical theory, virtue epistemology, the nature of particular virtues, character development, and challenges to character and virtue from neuroscience and situationism.These papers stem from the work of the Character Project (www.thecharacterproject.com) at Wake Forest University, generously supported by the John Templeton Foundation. This collection is truly unique in featuring the work of many young, up-and-coming voices in their fields with new perspectives to offer. Together their work will significantly shape discussions of character for years to come.
Table of Contents
Editors' IntroductionChristian B. Miller, R. Michael Furr, Angela Knobel, William FleesonSection 1: Overview of the Study of Character in Philosophy and PsychologyChapter 1: "Some Foundational Questions in Philosophy about Character," Christian B. Miller and Angela KnobelChapter 2: "Personality Science and the Foundations of Character," William Fleeson, R. Michael Furr, Eranda Jayawickreme, Erik G. Helzer, Anselma G. Hartley, and Peter MeindlSection 2: Beliefs about CharacterChapter 3: "Lay Beliefs in True Altruism versus Universal Egoism," Jochen E. Gebauer, Constantine Sedikides, Mark R. Leary, and Jens B. AsendorpfChapter 4: "Understanding the Importance and Perceived Structure of Moral Character," Geoffrey P. Goodwin, Jared Piazza, and Paul RozinSection 3: The Existence and Nature of CharacterChapter 5: "Moving Character Beyond the Person-Situation Debate - The Stable and Dynamic Nature of Virtues in Everyday Life," Wiebke BleidornChapter 6: "Character Traits in the Workplace: A Three-Month Diary Study of Moral and Immoral Organizational Behaviors," Taya R. Cohen and A. T. PanterChapter 7: "The Mixed Trait Model of Character Traits and the Moral Domains of Resource Distribution and Theft," Christian B. MillerChapter 8: "Emotion and Character," Charles StarkeySection 4: Character and Ethical TheoryChapter 9: "Taking Moral Risks and Becoming Virtuous," Rebecca StanglChapter 10: "Dispositions, Character, and the Value of Acts," Bradford CokeletChapter 11: "Exemplarism and Admiration," Linda ZagzebskiSection 5: Virtue EpistemologyChapter 12: "People Listen to People Who Listen: Instilling Virtues of Deference," Kristoffer Ahlstrom-VijChapter 13: "'Why Can't We Be Friends?' Reflections on Empirical Psychology and Virtue Epistemology," Nathan L. KingChapter 14: "From Virtue Epistemology to Abilism: Theoretical and Empirical Developments," John TurriSection 6: Particular VirtuesChapter 15: "Christian Humility as a Social Virtue," Mike AustinChapter 16: "A Different Kind of Wisdom," Angela KnobelChapter 17: "Bearing Burdens and the Character of God in the Hebrew Bible," Cristian MihutChapter 18: "Domain Specificity in Self-Control," Angela Lee Duckworth and Eli TsukayamaChapter 19: "Can Text Messages Make People Kinder?" Sara KonrathSection 7: Character DevelopmentChapter 20: "The Emergence of Moral Character in Infancy: Developmental Changes and Individual Differences in Fairness Concerns and Prosocial Behavior during the First Two Years of Life," Jessica A. SommervilleChapter 21: "Character Development in the School Years: Relations among Theory of Mind, Moral Identity and Positive and Negative Behavior toward Peers," Elizabeth A. Boerger and Anthony J. HoffmanChapter 22: "Character across Early Emerging Adulthood: Character Traits, Character Strivings, and Moral Self-Attributes," Erik E. NoftleChapter 23: "Etiquette and Exemplarity in Judaism," Tzvi NovickChapter 24: "Christian Character Formation and the Infusion of Grace," Ray S. YeoChapter 25: "Necessity and Human Agency: Cultivating Character in the Reformed Christian Tradition," Elizabeth CochranChapter 26: "Liturgy and the Moral Life," Terence CuneoChapter 27: "Cultivating Virtues through Sartorial Practices: The Case of the Islamic Veil in Indonesia," Elizabeth M. BucarSection 8: Challenges to Character and Virtue from Neuroscience and SituationismChapter 28: "Character Traits and the Neuroscience of Social Behavior," Daniel McKaughanChapter 29: "Character and Coherence: Testing the Stability of Naturalistically Observed Daily Moral Behavior," Matthias R. Mehl, Kathryn L. Bollich, John M. Doris, and Simine VazireChapter 30: "Taking Evil into the Lab: Exploring the Frontiers of Morality and Individual Differences," David Gallardo-Pujol, Elizabet Orekhova, Verónica Benet-Martínez, and Mel SlaterChapter 31: "War Crimes: Causes, Excuses, and Blame," Matthew Talbert and Jessica WolfendaleIndex
