McNair Summer Research Program
Publication Date
Summer 8-7-2026
Disciplines
Applied Ethics
Description, Abstract, or Artist's Statement
Abstract
This research examines mentorship within Aristotelian virtue ethics. Aristotle holds that moral excellence develops through habituation, guided practice that forms stable dispositions, rather than through knowledge or rules alone. Central to this process are virtuous mentors who model good character and cultivate practical wisdom (phronesis). Although Aristotle stresses the necessity of such examples, he offers little practical guidance on who they are or how they may be identified. This omission raises a practical challenge: if virtue depends on guidance from the genuinely virtuous, identifying those individuals is essential to the theory’s implementation. My research investigates whether society provides accessible sources of the moral guidance Aristotle requires for character formation. Through analysis of the Nicomachean Ethics and semi-structured interviews with adults reflecting on formative mentors, this study explores whether contemporary people independently recognize common characteristics of trustworthy moral guides. By addressing the problem of locating real-world moral exemplars, the research seeks to bridge Aristotelian theory and ethical practice.