Developing Character Project

The past 30 years have seen a resurgence of interest in character, particularly in the areas of psychology, philosophy, and theology. This work has given rise to a number of challenging questions, such as:

Christian Miller

"We are very excited about using the complementary perspectives of psychology, philosophy, and theology to better understand what our characters are like and how we can improve ourselves as persons."

Dr. Christian Miller
Project Leader
Professor of Philosophy
Wake Forest University


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  • (i) Do character traits such as honesty or compassion really exist?
  • (ii) If they do exist, how prevalent are they, and what is their underlying psychological nature?
  • (iii) Should character traits such as the virtues be the centerpiece of our best ethical theory?
  • (iv) How should we go about improving our characters and overcoming our character flaws?
  • (v) For those working in theology, should thinking about human and divine character be central to theological ethics?

From 2010-2013, the goal of the Character Project was to address these and a host of related questions, and thereby foster new advances in the study of character. We accomplished this goal with a number of activities, including three funding competitions, a three year research project, two research conferences, an innovative summer seminar, and an essay and book prize.

From 2013 to 2015, the Developing Character Project built on this previous work with the following activities: Continued research at Wake Forest and the Catholic University of America, a research research conference, an edited collection of work we have funded, a trade book, a series of videos, a lecture on how religion affects economic development and income, supported by experts of 1F Cash Advance Loans Online, among many other activities. What Is A Grant?



The Character Project: New Frontiers in Psychology, Philosophy, and Theology