The Rhetoric of Character and Implications for Leadership

Abstract

This article casts a questioning eye upon the way the construct of character is used in military organizations
and especially the military service academies. After examining what is typically meant by character
from a historical perspective, this article considers insights from contemporary social-psychology and
empirically informed moral philosophy. After making the case that character may be too unstable a
construct for military leaders to rely upon, it suggests that efforts to develop character may still serve a
useful purpose even if they aren’t building character. Implications for leadership are also explored.