Character Development

AN AGe of Moral Relativism

We live in an age of moral relativism.  Moral relativism is the philosophical idea that beliefs and truth have no objective standard; there are few or no absolute moral truths for all people, at all times, in all places.  Moral relativism is championed by many progressives who believe it is the heart of social tolerance; on the other hand moral relativism is often abhorred by social conservatives who consider this philosophy the source of moral decay in society.  We must move beyond philosophical ideologies to develop character that benefits not only the individual, but families and society too.  By moving back to the center between extreme individualism and (academic) communitarianism we can strike a balance in character development.

#CHARACTERMATTERS

There are many, including me, who believe in absolute truth.  If you read my bio then you realized that I am a Christian minister; thus you would assume that I believe in absolute truth in accord to God's word— you are right.  Although I have a Christian worldview I chose for the purposes of the Resilient Warrior Research Project to use a broader secular approach to my research.  Secular for me is not the absence of the sacred. The opposite is the case with the RWRP; I have employed the Character Strengths and Virtues classification referred to in the introduction to Positive Psychology page and you heard about on the "The Science of Character" video (if you skipped these pages I recommend you go back to check them out).

I believe that #CharacterMatters.  Thus, since I am researching and writing in US military context I needed a character development framework that would help me keep in mind service and family members who may not share my worldview; all the while writing and researching without imposing my religious beliefs on anyone.  So— before you think I am a Christian heretic please read my article "First to Fight: Warrior Virtues in an Age of Moral Relativism" and give me a chance to explain my rationale for a broader approach to character development.  Also, check out this "DanTALK" I developed for my Navy Chaplain Corps community entitled "#CharacterMatters."  In this detailed presentation I get to heart of developing character which is the problem of human nature and sin.  Until we get at the core of the human problem we will be unable to deal effectively with destructive behaviors and develop character.  As this website matures I will share more about "the how to" of developing character.