The Politics of Character Development

Very little has been written on the political implications of diverse accounts of virtue, vice, and moral character, and even less has been offered on this subject from any identifiably leftist perspective. This book begins by demonstrating the plausibility of a Marxist ethics in general; the author then proceeds to work out an understanding of moral character itself and its role in living a good life, based on a historical materialist philosophical anthropology. This leads to an analysis of which character traits should be considered virtues and vices, and what would count as a successful or unsuccessful moral education, within the context of contemporary North American society. The text concludes by focusing on the problems associated with identifying real-life, useful exemplifications of such virtuous and vicious character.