Through previous work of our Character Project, we found increasing support for the existence of character traits, leading us to new questions.

Which character traits exist?
How prevalent are they, and what is their underlying psychological nature?
Can we make sense of the idea that, as Aristotle believed, most people neither have moral virtues nor moral vices, and what implications would this view have for virtue ethics, and for moral improvement in general?
What is best model of the "role of God" in the cultivation of character virtues?

This project builds on the previous success of the Character Project with a two-year Research Program at Wake Forest University on the psychology of character, which conducts and disseminates empirical research regarding the structure, consistency, perception, and influence of traits related to moral choice. This includes research in the philosophy and theology of character, with a focus on the existence of character traits that are neither virtues nor vices, and on God's role in influencing character.

Anticipated outputs include a book, a research conference, three edited volumes, nine videos, many papers and talks, and two journal special issues. We hope this project will lead to increased interdisciplinary work being done among scholars studying character, increased academic understanding of character traits, and increased appreciation outside of academia for the nature and importance of character.