Character and Virtue

Questions of trust, probity and integrity dominate public life in contemporary Britain. These issues often coalesce around questions of character.

We speak of ‘being a character’, ‘having character’, and ‘character flaws’, but how does the idea of ‘character’ enrich our understanding of what it means to be human? If character is ‘the guiding core of who we are’, how does it develop? Can it be taught? What makes a ‘good character’ and who decides? Does ‘character’ make any difference to the way in which we exercise leadership? Why should character matter?

Revd Dr Nick Austin SJ is the Master of Campion Hall. A Jesuit priest and spiritual director, he teaches moral theology. He has recently published a book on Aquinas on Virtue with Georgetown University Press (2017).