“The Virtue of Honesty: New Perspectives and Empirical Discoveries”

July 12-22, 2023
Wake Forest University

Seminar Leader

Dr. Christian B. Miller
A.C. Reid Professor of Philosophy
Director, The Honesty Project
Past Director, The Character Project

The goal of the seminar was to engage with the latest work on the philosophy and the psychology of honesty so that participants could better advance future research on honesty themselves and also improve their teaching in the area.

Seminar Description

An eight-day seminar was held for 17 participants at Wake Forest University in July of 2023. The seminar covered much of the latest work on the philosophy and psychology of honesty, and engaged with questions such as:

• What is the definition and value of honesty in its moral and intellectual forms? What are the behavioral and motivational requirements for being honest or exceptionally so?
• To what extent are people honest? How does this vary by culture?
• What contextual and internal factors encourage honesty and shape its development in individuals, groups, organizations, and institutions?
• What are the consequences of honesty and dishonesty for relationships, groups, organizations, and institutions?
• Under what conditions is dishonesty justified, if any? What factors lead people to be receptive to or offended by honesty?

Readings were mainly drawn from Tom Carson, Lying and Deception: Theory and Practice, and Christian Miller, Honesty: The Philosophy and Psychology of a Neglected Virtue.