Christian B. Miller

"Honesty is clearly an important virtue. Parents want to develop it in their children. Close relationships typically depend upon it. Employers value it in their employees. Yet philosophers have said almost nothing about the virtue of honesty in the past fifty years. This book aims to draw attention to this surprisingly neglected virtue. Part One looks at the concept of honesty. It takes up questions such as what does honesty involve, what are the motives of an honest person, how does practical wisdom relate to honesty, and is there anything that connects all the different sides of honesty, including not lying, not stealing, not breaking promises, not misleading others, and not cheating. A central idea is that the honest person reliably does not intentionally distort the facts as she takes them to be. Part Two looks at the empirical psychology of honesty. It takes up the question of whether most people are honest, dishonest, or somewhere in-between. Drawing extensively on recent studies of cheating and lying in particular, the emerging model ends up implying that most of us have a long way to go to reach an honest character"--

The Philosophy and Psychology of a Neglected Virtue

Honesty

Walter Sinnott-Armstrong

Conclusion -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- References -- 9.3 Circumstances and Responsibility in Psychopathy: Replies to Pickard and Graham -- Reply to Hanna Pickard -- Reply to George Graham -- References -- 10 Does Virtue Make Us Happy? A New Theory for an Old Question -- Constructivism and Well-Being -- Virtues and Values -- Conclusion -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- References -- 10.1 Who Does What? The Psychology-Philosophy Division of Labor on Virtue and Happiness -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- References -- 10.2 A Tale of Two Default Approaches: Some Old Answers for a New Theory -- A Shifting Default Approach on Well-Being -- The Real Sticking Point: The Default Approach of Motivational Internalism -- Notes -- References -- 10.3 On the Division of Labor between Philosophers and Psychologists: A "Goldilocksian" Reply to Comments from Saucedo & Gruber -- Reply to Saucedo & Gruber -- Reply to Kristjánsson -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- References -- Contributors -- Index

Virtue and Character

Moral Psychology

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.

How Good Are We?

The Character Gap

Updated and expanded to represent the fundamental questions at the heart of philosophical ethics today, the second edition of The Bloomsbury Handbook of Ethics covers the key topics in metaethics and normative ethical theory. This edition includes 12 fully revised chapters, and 3 newly commissioned contributions from a range of esteemed academics who provide accessible introductions to their own areas of expertise. The first part of the book covers the field of metaethics, including subjects such as moral realism, expressivism, constructivism, practical reason, moral psychology, experimental ethics, and evolutionary ethics, as well as two new chapters that respond to ethical debates concerning moral relativism and moral responsibility that enable students and scholars to better navigate this complicated ethical terrain. Moving onto normative ethical theory, the second part of the book ranges across morality and religion, consequentialism, and particularism, as well as Kantian, virtue, feminist, and Confucian ethics. This comprehensive edition provides a one-stop resource for students of ethics, which includes updated detailed overviews of the field and methodological issues, as well as an appendix of additional resources, including technical terms in ethics.

The Bloomsbury Handbook of Ethics

Ryan West

Ask a child what qualities make for a good person, and she would likely say "telling the truth." Indeed, honesty is a character trait whose worth even children recognize, and a virtue crucial on both intimate and global scales, significant in everything from our relationships to ourpoliticians' accountability. The past forty years have witnessed a dramatic resurgence of philosophical interest in the virtues, understood as qualities that dispose one to think, feel, and act with excellence. And yet there has been surprisingly little work among philosophers aimed at helping usbetter understand the interwoven virtues of honesty, integrity, and truth-seeking.Edited by philosophers Christian B. Miller and Ryan West, this interdisciplinary volume significantly advances the discussion of this cluster of truth-related virtues by incorporating the insights and perspectives of experts in philosophy, law, communication and rhetorical studies, theology,psychology, history, and education. Each section is devoted to one virtue, and comprises a conceptual chapter about the nature of the virtue in question, an application chapter which explores how the virtue plays a central role in an area of human life, and a developmental chapter covering some ofthe ways people can foster this virtue in life. Additionally, the volume addresses honest and dishonest behavior, the fastest growing and most influential research areas in moral psychology today. Every reader will come away from this volume with deepened knowledge and appreciation for the essentialrole honesty takes in our world, and profound reason for developing and sustaining it in life.

Christian B. Miller

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