Nathan King

Understanding the virtue of perseverance requires differentiating it from the skill of grit, the vice of pertinacity, and the related virtues of patience and constancy. The key feature of perseverance as persistence in the difficult good is carved out in this essay through reflection on the pagan and Christian history of reflection on perseverance (with particular attention to the context of martyrdom), Alasdair MacIntyre's questionable claims about constancy as a peculiarly modern virtue, and about Jane Austen as its exemplar, and Angela Duckworth's influential popular account of grit.

What does it mean to be a good thinker? Which virtues work together in someone who possesses good intellectual character? Although recent research on virtues has highlighted the benefits of individual intellectual virtues, being an excellent thinker is likely a function of possessing multiple intellectual virtues. Specifically, a good thinker would both recognize one’s intellectual shortcomings and possess an eagerness to learn driven by virtues such as love of knowledge, curiosity, and open-mindedness. Good intellectual character may only successfully manifest when individuals possess not just one or a few intellectual virtues, but a larger set of such virtues to different degrees. However, little is currently known about what combination of virtues are necessary for good thinking. We argue that it is important to identify and clarify the nature of the good thinker and outline a profile methodology for achieving this goal. This approach characterizes the good thinker in terms of a profile of multiple intellectual virtues. Understanding this profile can allow greater insight into the extent to which people possess such a profile, and the potential for societal benefits of educating for these qualities.