The Character Gap: How Good Are We?

Character is our moral fiber. It leads us to think, act and feel in specific ways.

Character can be divided into three traits: virtue, vices and a mix of the two. Virtue includes things like honesty, compassion, courage and loyalty. Vices include dishonesty, cruelty and cowardice.

It benefits us to strive to live in a world of virtue and be virtuous. Being virtuous makes the world a better place. We find people of good character as inspiration.

Character is plastic and can be changed. Moral reminders help us get back on track. Look to paradigms of living a virtuous life and try to follow that example.

Listen as Dr. Christian Miller joins Dr. Pamela Peeke to share how we can improve our character.

Sponsor:

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Featuring:

Christian B. Miller, PhD

Christian B. Miller is the A. C. Reid Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University. He is the Philosophy Director of the Beacon Project, funded by a $3.9 million grant from Templeton Religion Trust, and is Past Director of the Character Project, funded by $5.6 million in grants from the John Templeton Foundation and Templeton World Charity Foundation.

He is the author of over 75 papers as well as three books with Oxford University Press, Moral Character: An Empirical Theory (2013), Character and Moral Psychology (2014), and The Character Gap: How Good Are We? (2017). He is also the editor or co-editor of Essays in the Philosophy of Religion (Oxford University Press), Character: New Directions from Philosophy, Psychology, and Theology (Oxford University Press), Moral Psychology, Volume V: Virtue and Character (MIT Press), Integrity, Honesty, and Truth-Seeking (Oxford University Press), and The Continuum Companion to Ethics (Continuum Press).