Illustrations of Character: Faith, Reason, and Ethics

What is character but the determination of incident? What is incident but the illustration of character?   - Henry James

How do we decide what to do when faced with hard choices? Is happiness uppermost in our minds, or something else – loyalty to a friend, say, or religious commitments?  How can we live with integrity in the face of temptation or tragedy?  These are ethical questions. They demand that we think about values, duties, and principles.  They demand that we call upon our character.  Character comprises not only our distinctive qualities but also our disposition to act in certain ways.  Indeed, our word “ethical” derives from the Greek,  ethos , which, like our word, can refer to a literary figure or to a combination of individual qualities.  Character, in turn, is formed by what we think, believe, decide, and do. 

In this program, we investigate character through ethical philosophy, religion, history, and literature.  We explore the ways in which character affects, and is affected by, desire, deliberation, faith, action, and suffering.  Borrowing from Henry James above, we are especially interested in literary and historical accounts of incidents in which characters are put to the test.  Texts in philosophy and religion challenge and broaden notions of how values and commitments are formed and sustained.  They provide powerful interpretive tools and a refined vocabulary for grappling with the questions posed by our other readings.

In the fall, we begin with ancient works: Aristotle’s ethical theory and the Hebrew Bible. These texts illustrate  an early contrast between a practical philosophy positing individual flourishing and virtue as the highest good, and a faith based on a covenant with God realized by means of laws and practices. In the winter, we explore the Christian espousal of a “new covenant” by which the faithful are promised individual salvation and bound to a moral obligation to others.  We also study Jewish, Christian, and Enlightenment philosophers who develop the notion of moral law from both rationalist and faith-based points of view.  In both quarters, we read ancient and modern dramas, novels, and histories, and write essays that allow our texts to illuminate each other.  Finally, we will visit contemporary religious and secular institutions that promote the good in their communities.

Students should be highly motivated and intellectually ambitious, and be prepared not only to think critically about what we read and see, but also to investigate their own beliefs and submit them to rigorous analytical scrutiny, that is, to practice ethical thinking as well as understand it.

Greener Foundations:  This program will incorporate Greener Foundations, a holistic course designed for first-time, first-year students. Faculty and staff collaborate to bring study skills, academic planning, health and wellness education, advising, and more into the classroom. More information at Greener Foundations .