Is virtuous intellectual character a cause of human flourishing? An empirical investigation.

This project seeks to study whether virtuous intellectual character contributes to human flourishing. To this end, a three-year longitudinal study will be conducted with 700 Argentine university students. The role of intellectual humility within virtuous intellectual character and the influence of honesty on human flourishing will be analyzed.

While there is abundant research on the effect of moral virtues on human flourishing, empirical studies on the impact of virtuous intellectual character are scarce. This project seeks to fill that gap. Three consecutive annual assessments of intellectual character, honesty, and human flourishing will be conducted, generating empirical evidence to better understand the virtues that make us better people.

The annual results will be presented in workshops with 150 teachers from the Universidad Austral (UA) and will be shared in six international conferences and three scientific articles. In addition, academic exchanges between UA researchers and international advisors will be fostered, paving the way for future cross-cultural research between South America and North Atlantic countries.

It is expected that at least ten UA degree programs will implement specific actions to develop intellectual virtues in their students, impacting more than 3.000 future Argentine leaders. It is also hoped that other Latin American universities will replicate UA's longitudinal study and initiative to teach intellectual virtues.