Struggling to feel grateful? Try thinking differently about what caused the person’s actions.
Articles on Virtues
Displaying 1 - 20 of 22 articles
Patience is a virtue that researchers have linked to many parts of well-being. But it’s also something that needs a bit of practice and training – and can be undermined by instant, easy gratification.
Courage is widely considered a fundamental human virtue. A professor of psychology and a university president break down the components of courageous action.
The ancient Greek word phronesis means practical wisdom. It’s about choosing the right action at the right time for the right reasons, helping you apply the other virtues correctly.
Seeing someone charitably requires a balancing act between taking them seriously and trying to see the good in them.
Humility is a virtue that many people admire but far fewer practice. A scholar describes how a professional crisis made him look inward and rethink his concept of success.
Conspiracy thinking, supernatural beliefs and pseudoscience can seem impervious to evidence. An anthropologist suggests the opposite: Extraordinary beliefs may be supported by an individual’s experience.
A philosopher argues that true leisure is when we can reflect on our real priorities, cultivate friendships and decide what kind of life we want to live.
German philosopher Paul Tillich’s writings about affirming oneself in the face of anxiety, repression and meaninglessness ring as true today as in the 1950s.
Presidential immunity can bring with it many risks. So how can we think about the nature and limits of such immunity?
Optimism can rely on a sense of luck, while hope is action-oriented − and often aimed at helping other people.
Being open to the possibility you could be wrong about your beliefs is an important part of learning about the world. But this trait is not enough on its own.
Humility doesn’t get the fanfare of virtues like courage, compassion or generosity. But without humility, those other virtues won’t get much traction in the quest to live a good life.
Virtue signaling is designed to communicate specifically to one partisan tribe and to affirm its moral superiority. A scholar of ethics and politics explains why that is unwelcome in a divided US.
A scholar of democratic virtues explains why Dominican monk Thomas Aquinas’ thoughts on hope are relevant today.
A theologian argues, based on the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas, that a political institution has its limits when it comes to being called ‘sacred.’
Italian teenager Carlo Acutis, who died at the age of 15, is on the path to becoming a saint. A scholar explains the long history of child saints in the Catholic Church.
Confronting the massive social problems caused by the coronavirus requires policies built on compassion, solidarity and justice – core values of virtuous societies worldwide.
Presidents Day celebrates the American president – not only as a political leader, but as a moral leader. But can a president be a person of strong moral character, as well as a strong leader?
Friendship requires that we be open to our friends’ ways of seeing things, even when they differ from our own. Is being a good person necessary for a good friendship? Who is a good person?
Top contributors
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Professor of Philosophy, Public Policy and Governance, University of Washington
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President, Miami University
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Managing Director of the McCourtney Institute of Democracy, Associate Research Professor, Political Science, Co-host of Democracy Works Podcast, Penn State
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Professor of Philosophy, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
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Professor of Psychology, College of Charleston
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Professor of Psychology & Senior Research Fellow, Program for Leadership and Character, Wake Forest University
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Associate Professor of Psychology, Hope College
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Professor Emerita of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross
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Professor of Systematic Theology, Seminary of the Southwest
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Professor of Social Welfare Policy, Boston University
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Research Associate Professor of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University
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Professor of Education, Quinnipiac University
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Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Tennessee
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Assistant Teaching Professor of Philosophy, Missouri University of Science and Technology
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Professor of Psychology, Clemson University