Project Summary
The goal of this project is a deeper understanding of the nature of virtue in relation to the transcendent.  How is virtue related to rationality, emotions, and concepts of ultimate value? A unique aspect of this project is the attempt to understand persons who are exemplars of virtue – either historical exemplars, such as long-term caregivers for the mentally disabled, or persons whose behavior in economic games is exemplary of fairness and generosity. The project studies exemplars with respect to the implicit conceptual “schemas” by which they understand themselves and the world (including their orientation to something transcendent, or concepts of ultimate value), their psychological makeup, and their patterns of brain activity while making virtue-relevant decisions.  The research program will also foster discussions among philosophers, theologians, psychologists, and neuroscientists regarding the nature of transcendence and a theory of virtue that focuses on the personal traits and character of virtuous exemplars.  Finally, the progress being made in this project will be shared with larger audiences in graduate courses and public lectures.

Progress
Thus far, this project has created exciting new approaches to research on moral action and virtue. Most remarkably, the project has yielded a novel approach to neuroscience and psychological study of virtuous exemplars within a laboratory context.  We have also successfully used semantic analysis to probe for transcendent concepts in the schemas of virtuous exemplars.  Finally, our team has formulated a philosophical understanding of virtue that both incorporates this new scientific research and argues for the critical importance of transcendence and exemplarity in moral action.

Relationship to Transcendence and Ultimate Reality
A core question of this project is the degree to which a virtuous person’s mental “schemas” (of themselves and of the world) involve a representation of transcendent realities and ultimate values, and the degree to which these are important in their virtuous behavior and character.