The Oxford Character Project reposted this
Executive Director, Oxford Character Project | Co-founder SDG Impact Lab | University of Oxford | Thinkers50 Radar 2023
#Character has been a prominent theme in the US election. And for good reason -- character is a central concern in discussion of political leadership back to Plato and Aristotle. As Aristotle put it, "The one who is truly a politician has worked most on virtue; for he wishes to make the citizens good." ❓ But if good character is so important for political leadership, why is Trump still in the race? ❓ Why have attacks on Trump's character proved ineffective? 💡 Writing in the Financial Times, Jemima Kelly expertly cuts through the noise. The Oxford Character Project Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford
Founding Team Member driving innovation in HealthTech/MedTech with business and scientific expertise | Simply me.
1dDon't know much about US politics but...I certainly wouldn't be the judge of whether "Kamala Harris wins breezily on that score." However, if I may, I'd like to add my 2 cents to this topic. *Number 1*: Perhaps in today's perception, people view character as the quality of being whole, not double-minded, being able to say what you mean and mean what you say. if we follow this logic, we can understand why some may consider his character to be 'different'. He appears to them as not trying to put nail polish on his faults. All his weaknesses are lay bare. Whether that's good or not, it's an entirely different topic of discussion. But it essentially means, people seem to know exactly what they are getting. *Number 2*: By what standard are we to judge whether one is more virtuous than the other? By the policies they stand for or by what they have done and who they are? If we go by the policies, well...we've got our work cut out for us. Let's just pick the Abortion topic! What's morally upright? Pro- or against? And the Gender affirming policies in minors. Is that morally upright or not?... Could it be that our generation perceive character as the quality of being exactly who you are in public and in private? 🤔