ENGLISH

The Character Gap: How Good Are We?

By Christian B. Miller

Book information

Publisher
Oxford University Press
Year
2017
ISBN
0190264225, 9780190264222
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
11 MB (11199707 bytes)
Series
Philosophy In Action
Edition
Hardcover
Pages
296\297
Time added
2019-10-20 04:10:22
Character

Description

We like to think of ourselves, our friends, and our families as decent people. We may not be saints, but we are still honest, relatively kind, and mostly trustworthy. Miller argues here that we are badly mistaken in thinking this. Hundreds of recent studies in psychology tell a different story: that we all have serious character flaws that prevent us from being as good as we think we are - and that we do not even recognize that these flaws exist. But neither are most of us cruel or dishonest. Instead, Miller argues, we are a mixed bag. On the one hand, most of us in a group of bystanders will do nothing as someone cries out for help in an emergency. Yet it is also true that there will be many times when we will selflessly come to the aid of a complete stranger - and resist the urge to lie, cheat, or steal even if we could get away with it. Much depends on cues in our social environment. Miller uses this recent psychological literature to explain what the notion of "character" really means today, and how we can use this new understanding to develop a character better in sync with the kind of people we want to be.

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